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Childhood Influenza in the Outpatient Setting in Shanghai, China

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 2012 Apr 4. [Epub ahead of print]
Childhood Influenza in the Outpatient Setting in Shanghai, China.
Ge Y, Cai J, Wang X, Yao W, Shen J, Zhu Q, Wang X, Zeng M.
Source

From the Department of Infectious Diseases, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Influenza is a common cause of outpatient visits in childhood. Influenza vaccine has been widely used for children ≥6 months of age in developed countries based on accumulating evidence for the substantial socioeconomic burden of influenza in children. However, the data of childhood influenza in China is scarce.
METHODS:

We carried out a prospective surveillance of influenza among children visiting outpatient clinic for influenza-like illness (ILI) between June 2009 and May 2011. Respiratory samples were obtained from the enrolled cases and the demographic and clinical data were collected.
RESULTS:

Out of 2356 enrolled cases, influenza was virologically confirmed in 608 (25.81%) otherwise healthy children. Four hundred and sixty-eight (76.97%) were influenza A positive (A/H3N2: 236, pandemic A/H1N1: 219, seasonal A/H1N1: 4, A/H3N2 co-infected with pandemic A/H1N1: 3, and untyped: 6), and 142 (23.35%) were influenza B positive (2 co-infected with pandemic A/H1N1). The outbreaks of A/H3N2, pandemic A/H1N1 and influenza B took place in fall, winter and spring, alternatively. More institutionalized children were affected when the outbreaks overlapped with school opening. Among 603 children with a single influenza virus infection, 289 (47.93%) were <3 years old and 283 (46.93%) had the close contact with persons who had fever or respiratory infection, of whom, 192 (67.84%) contacts were family members.
CONCLUSION:

The annual outbreak of influenza led to a high rate of outpatient visits among children in Shanghai. Outbreaks occurred in younger and institutionalized children. Household members were the main disseminators to spread influenza among children.

PMID:
22481425
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22481425
 
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