Altered epidemiological patterns of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and influenza detections in a tropical Australian setting 2020 to 2023.

Background: We describe the recent temporal patterns of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus detections in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia, between 2020 and 2023.

Methods: This retrospective analysis of patients presenting with respiratory diseases utilised a multiplex viral nucleic acid detection assay for RSV, influenza and SARS Cov2 (COVID-19) to determine the relative frequency of non-COVID-19 respiratory viral detections by age and month during the study period.

Results: During this period of the NT COVID-19 epidemic, disruption of the usual annual wet season RSV outbreak patterns occurred, and the yearly influenza peak was absent for two annual cycles.