The impact of winter epidemics of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus on paediatric admissions to an urban general hospital

Abstract

To demonstrate the impact of influenza epidemics on pediatric hospital admissions, admissions that were attributable to influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection to the pediatric ward of an urban general hospital in Japan were followed-up during a 4-month period from December to March 1991 through 1998. During the 1997-1998 influenza type A (H3N2) epidemic, a diagnosis of influenza type A (H3N2) was made in 26.3% of all patients admitted aged 15 years or lower. During the peak of the epidemic, as many as 50-70% of the admissions were attributable to influenza type A (H3N2). In the seven winters from 1991 to 1988, 14.0% of all admissions were associated with infection with influenza virus (mean age 4.4 years), and 17.5% were due to RSV. More patients were admitted to hospital for influenza than RSV infection in three of the seven seasons. Among the patients with influenza, 74.5% of the cases were previously healthy children. Influenza and RSV infection are leading causes of pediatric hospital admissions during the winter. Effective methods of prophylaxis are needed not only for high-risk patients, but for healthy young children.

Comparison of clinical characteristics of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus infection in hospitalised children and adolescents

“…Although this finding is not new [20,22], it indicates that the overall impact of the current immunisation strategy, which aims at patients with pre-existing chronic diseases, is limited. Moreover, the significant number of influenza patients with underlying diseases indicates that compliance with this strategy is suboptimal.…”

“…Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality in elderly people [22] and in chronically ill patients at any age [6,10,18]. The burden of influenza in primarily healthy children and adolescents is less clear [6,10,18], although it has long been recognised that acute viral respiratory tract infections are a common reason for hospitalisation in children [17,22].…”

“…The burden of influenza in primarily healthy children and adolescents is less clear [6,10,18], although it has long been recognised that acute viral respiratory tract infections are a common reason for hospitalisation in children [17,22]. Among these, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is considered to be most important as it causes yearly outbreaks of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia, primarily in young infants [2,11,12,18].…”

Long-Acting Neuraminidase Inhibitor Laninamivir Octanoate (CS-8958) versus Oseltamivir as Treatment for Children with Influenza Virus Infection

“…Influenza virus infection is one of the major causes of pediatric hospitalizations in the winter season (15,17), and schoolchildren and children who attend day care centers are the principal transmitters of influenza in the community (13). The purpose of this trial was to compare the efficacy and safety of laninamivir octanoate to those of oseltamivir in children.…”

Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine, Trivalent, Is Safe in Healthy Children 18 Months to 4 Years, 5 to 9 Years, and 10 to 18 Years of Age in a Community-Based, Nonrandomized, Open-Label Trial

“…During any given year, influenza or RSV is the leading cause of hospitalization for lower respiratory tract disease. [2][3][4] RSV causes hospitalizations in children, primarily in those who are younger than 1 year. 5 Influenza causes high rates of hospitalization in children who are younger than 5 years, and the rate is comparable to that observed in adults who are older than 50 years.…”