title: Pattern of varicella and associated complications in children in Unite Arab Emirates: 5-year descriptive study.
abstract: The objective of this study was to characterize the epidemiology of varicella and varicella-associated complications in Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) during 2000-04. The annual number of reported cases varied from 373 to 790 per 100 000 population. Most (89%) occurred in children < 15 years old. Of 187 children requiring hospital admission, 50.3% had febrile illness due to secondary bacterial infection and 17.6% had neurological complications. The overall mortality rate among hospitalized children was 1.1%, all due to invasive group A Streptococcus. Varicella and associated complications in previously healthy children is becoming an important clinical and public health problem in the UAE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates. udumans@uaeu.ac.ae
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Uduman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheek-Hussein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bakir
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Trad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Hussani
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Uduman
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sheikhs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000821:virology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005334:Fever / Q000821:virology; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012621:Seasons; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000821:virology; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes; D015163:Superinfection / Q000821:virology; D014479:United Arab Emirates / Q000453:epidemiology