Incidence of Influenza-like Illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection During Three Influenza Seasons in Bangladesh, 2008-2010

Overview

Journal Bull World Health Organ

Specialty Public Health

Date 2012 Jan 25

PMID 22271960

Citations 66

Authors

Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner

A S M Alamgir

Mustafizur Rahman

Nusrat Homaira

Badrul Munir Sohel

M A Yushuf Sharker

Rashid Uz Zaman

Jacob Dee

Emily S Gurley

Abdullah Al Mamun

Syeda Mah-E-Muneer

Alicia M Fry

Marc-Alain Widdowson

Joseph Bresee

Stephen Lindstrom

Tasnim Azim

Abdullah Brooks

Goutam Podder

M Jahangir Hossain

Mahmudur Rahman

Stephen P Luby

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: To determine how much influenza contributes to severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), a leading cause of death in children, among people of all ages in Bangladesh.

Methods: Physicians obtained nasal and throat swabs to test for influenza virus from patients who were hospitalized within 7 days of the onset of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) or who consulted as outpatients for influenza-like illness (ILI). A community health care utilization survey was conducted to determine the proportion of hospital catchment area residents who sought care at study hospitals and calculate the incidence of influenza using this denominator.

Findings: The estimated incidence of SARI associated with influenza in children < 5 years old was 6.7 (95% confidence interval, CI: 0-18.3); 4.4 (95% CI: 0-13.4) and 6.5 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 0-8.3/1000) during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 influenza seasons, respectively. The incidence of SARI in people aged ≥ 5 years was 1.1 (95% CI: 0.4-2.0) and 1.3 (95% CI: 0.5-2.2) per 10,000 person-years during 2009 and 2010, respectively. The incidence of medically attended, laboratory-confirmed seasonal influenza in outpatients with ILI was 10 (95% CI: 8-14), 6.6 (95% CI: 5-9) and 17 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 13-22) during the 2008, 2009 and 2010 influenza seasons, respectively.

Conclusion: Influenza-like illness is a frequent cause of consultation in the outpatient setting in Bangladesh. Children aged less than 5 years are hospitalized for influenza in greater proportions than children in other age groups.

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