title: The burden of childhood pneumonia in the developed world: a review of the literature.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Estimates of the disease burden from childhood pneumonia are available for most developed countries, but they are based mainly on models. Measured country-specific pneumonia burden data are limited to a few nations and differ in case definitions and case ascertainment methods. This review describes pneumonia disease burden in developed countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed studies describing childhood pneumonia incidence in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. Available estimates suggest that each year in developed countries there are up to 2.6 million cases of pneumonia, including 1.5 million hospitalized cases and around 3000 pneumonia deaths (compared with approximately 640 annual deaths from meningitis) in children <5 years of age.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data to inform policy decisions would be improved by information on burden and etiology of severe pneumonia, population-based incidence of ambulatory visits and hospitalizations and prevalence of complications and sequelae.
authors.affiliation: Medical Research Council: Respiratory and Meningeal Pathogens Research Unit, South Africa. shabirm@nicd.ac.za
authors.forename: Shabir A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Madhi
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Wals
authors.forename: Carlos G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Grijalva
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grimwood
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grossman
authors.forename: Naruhiko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishiwada
authors.forename: Ping-Ing
authors.initials: PI
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Cristiana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nascimento-Carvalho
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nohynek
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: O'Brien
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vergison
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wolter
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D019049:Developed Countries; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D016019:Survival Analysis