Health
RSV leads large number of children to needed medical care
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 16, 2009
Respiratory syncytial virus, the bug that sickens infants enough to require hospital care, also has a significant impact on children age 1-5 even though the vast majority have no co-morbidities that increase susceptibility, according to a study in the Feb. 5 New England Journal of Medicine.
"We have been focused primarily on high-risk infants under a year old with RSV, but this study shows that an unrecognized and large burden exists among children with no risk factors," said Caroline Breese Hall, MD, lead author and professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York.
Researchers carried out prospective surveillance for acute respiratory infections in this age group in three counties from 2000 to 2004. RSV was linked to 20% of hospitalizations for acute respiratory infections from November through April of each year. This virus was also associated with 18% of emergency department visits and 15% of office appointments. Because most of these children had no co-existing illnesses, the authors suggest control strategies targeting only high-risk children will have limited impact.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/02/16/hlbf0216.htm.
