Epidemiology of acute respiratory infections in children - preliminary results of a cohort in a rural north Indian community.
BACKGROUND
Despite acute respiratory infections being a major cause of death among children in developing countries including India, there is a lack of community-based studies that document its burden and aetiology.


METHODS
A dynamic cohort of children aged 0-10 years was established in four villages in a north Indian state of Haryana from August 2012 onwards. Trained health workers conducted weekly home visits to screen children for acute respiratory infection (ARI) defined as one of the following: cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, earache/discharge, or breathing difficulty. Nurses clinically assessed these children to grade disease severity based on standard age-specific guidelines into acute upper or lower respiratory infection (AURI or ALRI) and collected nasal/throat swabs for pathogen testing.


RESULTS
Our first year results show that ARI incidence in 0-10 years of age was 5.9 (5.8-6.0) per child-year with minimal gender difference, the ALRI incidence in the under-five age group was higher among boys (0.43; 0.39-0.49) as compared to girls (0.31; 0.26-0.35) per child year. Boys had 2.4 times higher ARI-related hospitalization rate as compared to girls.


CONCLUSIONS
ARI impose a significant burden on the children of this cohort. This study platform aims to provide better evidence for prevention and control of pneumonia in developing countries.
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. anand.drk@gmail.com.
Anand
A
Krishnan
The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi, 110020, India. drritvik@gmail.com.
Ritvik
R
Amarchand
The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi, 110020, India. drvivek.gupta@gmail.com.
Vivek
V
Gupta
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA. gmj3@cdc.gov.
Kathryn E
KE
Lafond
Department of Community Medicine, Velammal Medical College Hospital and Research Institute, Madurai, 625009, India. sarizwan1986@gmail.com.
Rizwan Abdulkader
RA
Suliankatchi
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA. wmk5@cdc.gov.
Siddhartha
S
Saha
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. drsanjay.aiims@gmail.com.
Sanjay
S
Rai
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. doctormisra@gmail.com.
Puneet
P
Misra
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. debjani.rp@gmail.com.
Debjani Ram
DR
Purakayastha
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. wahi.abhi@gmail.com.
Abhishek
A
Wahi
Department of Biostatistics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. sreenivas_vishnu@yahoo.com.
Vishnubhatla
V
Sreenivas
Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. akapilmicro@gmail.com.
Arti
A
Kapil
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA. hgj0@cdc.gov.
Fatimah
F
Dawood
Centre for Community Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, 110029, India. cpandav@gmail.com.
Chandrakant S
CS
Pandav
The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi, 110020, India. shobha.broor@gmail.com.
Shobha
S
Broor
The INCLEN Trust International, New Delhi, 110020, India. drskkapoor@gmail.com.
Suresh K
SK
Kapoor
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA. renublal@gmail.com.
Renu
R
Lal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA. zux5@cdc.gov.
Marc-Alain
MA
Widdowson
D000208:Acute Disease; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000517:prevention & control; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012424:Rural Population