Tracking severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission and co-infection with other acute respiratory pathogens using a sentinel surveillance system in Rift Valley, Kenya

Risk factors for severe disease in pediatric respiratory syncytial virus infections

OBJECTIVES

To assess factors associated with the risk of severe disease in children aged 5 years or younger with laboratory-confirmed respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study in Mexico.

METHODS

Eligible participants included children aged 5 years or younger with laboratory-confirmed RSV infection January 1, 2023, and May 15, 2024. We collected relevant clinical and epidemiological data. Risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were employed to identify factors associated with the risk of severe disease, characterized by clinical and radiographic evidence of bronchiolitis or pneumonia requiring hospital admission.

RESULTS

Data from 2022 children were analyzed and the overall risk of severe disease was 21.0% (n = 424/2022). In multiple generalized linear regression analysis, a personal history of immunosuppression (due to any cause) showed a protective effect (RR = 0.14, 95% CI 0.05-0.42, P = 0.001) against severe RSV disease, while an increased risk was documented for each additional day elapsed between the date of symptom onset and the date of seeking healthcare RR = 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.10, P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

These findings provide insights into risk stratification and suggest specific directions for future research. This information informs the development of targeted intervention strategies to mitigate the impact of RSV infections in this vulnerable population.

Respiratory pathogenic microbial infections: a narrative review

Respiratory infectious diseases have long been recognised as a substantial global healthcare burden and are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, particularly in vulnerable individuals. In the post COVID-19 era, there has been a surge in the prevalence of influenza virus A and other multiple known viruses causing cold compared with during the same period in the previous three years, which coincided with countries easing COVID-19 restrictions worldwide. This article aims to review community-acquired respiratory illnesses covering a broad spectrum of viruses, bacteria, and atypical microorganisms and focuses on the cluster prevalence of multiple known respiratory pathogens in China, thereby providing effective prevention and control measures.