tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
J Med Virol
. 2026 Aug;98(8):e71073.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.71073.
Integrated Hospital, Emergency Department, and Community Surveillance for Respiratory Viruses in Milan, Italy
Alberto Rizzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Federica Salari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cristina Galli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Manuel Maffeo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Cristina Paduraru[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Simone Villa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alberto Dolci[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Elena Pariani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Danilo Cereda[SUP] 3 [/SUP]; Milan Respiratory Viruses Surveillance Working Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Respiratory virus circulation may vary across healthcare settings and age groups, potentially limiting the interpretability of surveillance based on a single source. In Milan, Italy, established community- and emergency department-based systems coexist with hospital laboratory testing, but hospital ward-level data are not routinely integrated. The aims of this study were to describe respiratory viruses' epidemiology and assess whether ward-based surveillance complements community and ED surveillance. We analyzed molecular test results from respiratory samples collected from January 1, 2024 (W1/2024) to October 12, 2025 (W41/2025) in community, ED, and hospital ward settings. Viruses included influenza A (IAV), influenza B (IBV), RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 (with extended panels in a subset). Among 8029 samples, overall positivity for ≥ 1 virus was 46.8%, highest in ED (51.1%) and community (50.5%) and lower in wards (36.7%) (p < 0.001). During 2024-2025, IAV was first detected in wards (W33/2024) and peaked earlier in wards (W2/2025) than community (W3/2025) and ED (W4/2025). IBV was first detected in ED (W36/2024) and peaked in ED (W5/2025), community (W7/2025), and wards (W8/2025). RSV reappeared first in community (W37/2024) and peaked in community/ED (W50/2024) and later in wards (W2/2025). Respiratory virus positivity and descriptive peak timing differed across healthcare settings and age groups. Ward-based surveillance provided complementary information for hospitalized and older populations, but it was not consistently earlier or superior to community or ED surveillance. Integrated, multi-setting surveillance can improve situational awareness when interpreted alongside differences in tested populations, testing indications, and clinical outcome availability.
Keywords: RSV; SARS‐CoV‐2; influenza virus; public health; respiratory virus; surveillance.
. 2026 Aug;98(8):e71073.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.71073.
Integrated Hospital, Emergency Department, and Community Surveillance for Respiratory Viruses in Milan, Italy
Alberto Rizzo[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Federica Salari[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Cristina Galli[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Manuel Maffeo[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Cristina Paduraru[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Simone Villa[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Alberto Dolci[SUP] 1 4 [/SUP], Elena Pariani[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Danilo Cereda[SUP] 3 [/SUP]; Milan Respiratory Viruses Surveillance Working Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
- PMID: 42479914
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.71073
Respiratory virus circulation may vary across healthcare settings and age groups, potentially limiting the interpretability of surveillance based on a single source. In Milan, Italy, established community- and emergency department-based systems coexist with hospital laboratory testing, but hospital ward-level data are not routinely integrated. The aims of this study were to describe respiratory viruses' epidemiology and assess whether ward-based surveillance complements community and ED surveillance. We analyzed molecular test results from respiratory samples collected from January 1, 2024 (W1/2024) to October 12, 2025 (W41/2025) in community, ED, and hospital ward settings. Viruses included influenza A (IAV), influenza B (IBV), RSV, and SARS-CoV-2 (with extended panels in a subset). Among 8029 samples, overall positivity for ≥ 1 virus was 46.8%, highest in ED (51.1%) and community (50.5%) and lower in wards (36.7%) (p < 0.001). During 2024-2025, IAV was first detected in wards (W33/2024) and peaked earlier in wards (W2/2025) than community (W3/2025) and ED (W4/2025). IBV was first detected in ED (W36/2024) and peaked in ED (W5/2025), community (W7/2025), and wards (W8/2025). RSV reappeared first in community (W37/2024) and peaked in community/ED (W50/2024) and later in wards (W2/2025). Respiratory virus positivity and descriptive peak timing differed across healthcare settings and age groups. Ward-based surveillance provided complementary information for hospitalized and older populations, but it was not consistently earlier or superior to community or ED surveillance. Integrated, multi-setting surveillance can improve situational awareness when interpreted alongside differences in tested populations, testing indications, and clinical outcome availability.
Keywords: RSV; SARS‐CoV‐2; influenza virus; public health; respiratory virus; surveillance.