90 Million Childhood Flu Cases And 1 Million Hospitalizations Globally Each Year

[tetano]

Prior to World Pneumonia Day (Sat 12 Nov) a study published Online First in The Lancet for the first time provides global estimates of seasonal influenza in children below the age of five years and the resultant burden of influenza-related pneumonia. According to the study, the researchers estimate that globally approximately 90 million children contract seasonal flu each year, resulting in around 1 million hospital admissions and almost 111,500 deaths due to influenza-related pneumonia, with 99% of these deaths occurring in developing countries.

Because researchers cannot fully explain the pediatric pneumonia burden based on recent estimates of global pneumonia incidence and mortality linked to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza type b, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), they needed to investigate the role of other pathogens, such as the influenza virus, which is linked to a large but unknown number of hospital admissions in young children globally and can be prevented through vaccination.

..


Petra Rattue. "90 Million Childhood Flu Cases And 1 Million Hospitalizations Globally Each Year." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 10 Nov. 2011. Web.
11 Nov. 2011.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/237474.php

 

[tetano]

Re: 90 Million Childhood Flu Cases And 1 Million Hospitalizations Globally Each Year

The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 11 November 2011
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61051-9Cite or Link Using DOI

Global burden of respiratory infections due to seasonal influenza in young children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Dr Harish Nair DNB a b Corresponding Author ‡Email Address, W Abdullah Brooks MD c, Mark Katz MD d, Anna Roca PhD e f, James A Berkley FRCPCH g h, Prof Shabir A Madhi MD i, James Mark Simmerman PhD j, Aubree Gordon PhD k l, Masatoki Sato MD m, Stephen Howie FRACP n, Anand Krishnan MD o, Maurice Ope MD p, Kim A Lindblade PhD q, Phyllis Carosone-Link MSPH r, Marilla Lucero MD s, Walter Ochieng MD t, Laurie Kamimoto MD u, Erica Dueger PhD v, Niranjan Bhat MD w, Sirenda Vong MD x, Evropi Theodoratou PhD a, Malinee Chittaganpitch MSc y, Osaretin Chimah FWACP n z, Angel Balmaseda MD aa, Philippe Buchy MD x, Prof Eva Harris MD k, Valerie Evans MSc a, Masahiko Katayose MD ab, Bharti Gaur MSc o, Cristina O'Callaghan-Gordo BSc e f, Doli Goswami MPH c, Wences Arvelo MD q, Marietjie Venter PhD ac ad, Thomas Briese PhD ae, Rafal Tokarz PhD ae, Marc-Alain Widdowson VetMB u, Anthony W Mounts MD af, Robert F Breiman MD d, Daniel R Feikin MD d ag, Prof Keith P Klugman MD i ah, Sonja J Olsen PhD j, Bradford D Gessner MD ai, Prof Peter F Wright MD aj, Prof Igor Rudan MD a ak, Prof Shobha Broor MD o, Prof Eric AF Simões MD r al, Prof Harry Campbell MD a Corresponding Author ‡Email Address

Summary
Background
The global burden of disease attributable to seasonal influenza virus in children is unknown. We aimed to estimate the global incidence of and mortality from lower respiratory infections associated with influenza in children younger than 5 years.
Methods
We estimated the incidence of influenza episodes, influenza-associated acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI), and influenza-associated severe ALRI in children younger than 5 years, stratified by age, with data from a systematic review of studies published between Jan 1, 1995, and Oct 31, 2010, and 16 unpublished population-based studies. We applied these incidence estimates to global population estimates for 2008 to calculate estimates for that year. We estimated possible bounds for influenza-associated ALRI mortality by combining incidence estimates with case fatality ratios from hospital-based reports and identifying studies with population-based data for influenza seasonality and monthly ALRI mortality.
Findings
We identified 43 suitable studies, with data for around 8 million children. We estimated that, in 2008, 90 million (95% CI 49—162 million) new cases of influenza (data from nine studies), 20 million (13—32 million) cases of influenza-associated ALRI (13% of all cases of paediatric ALRI; data from six studies), and 1 million (1—2 million) cases of influenza-associated severe ALRI (7% of cases of all severe paediatric ALRI; data from 39 studies) occurred worldwide in children younger than 5 years. We estimated there were 28 000—111 500 deaths in children younger than 5 years attributable to influenza-associated ALRI in 2008, with 99% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Incidence and mortality varied substantially from year to year in any one setting.
Interpretation
Influenza is a common pathogen identified in children with ALRI and results in a substantial burden on health services worldwide. Sufficient data to precisely estimate the role of influenza in childhood mortality from ALRI are not available.

http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61051-9/abstract?rss=yes