Significant Increase in SIDS Cases During the RSV Outbreak

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is defined as the unexpected death of an infant under the age of one year that cannot be explained by autopsy, a full clinical history, and a thorough case study. Formerly known as crib death, sudden infant death syndrome is still the greatest cause of death in children aged one month to one year. Its current prevalence is reported to be less than one in per 1000 live births, and it is more common in males. Deaths in the first year, which are 20 times higher than deaths from any cause between the ages of 1-18, highlights the importance of identifying SIDS, which is more common in males (2). SIDS causes can be grouped as maternal and/or child-related factors and environmental factors. The most common ones are mother’s young age, smoking exposure during pregnancy, prematurity, prone positioning of the child, use of soft mattresses, bed sharing, and excessive ambient temperature. The most common causes of sudden infant death syndrome are viral respiratory infections. With this letter, we sought to bring attention to viral infections, which are one of the causes of sudden infant death syndrome and seen more commonly in the winter months, especially affect young infants and children with underlying disorders, and demonstrate that RSV infections seen in the community between November 22 and December 5 last year, even if they may have progressed with mild findings that did not catch the attention of the family, could have led to SIDS with the combined effect of other factors playing a role in the etiology, and could be fatal.