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. 2009 Mar;15(3):408-14.
doi: 10.3201/eid1503.080238.

Prevalence and seasonality of influenza-like illness in children, Nicaragua, 2005-2007

Aubree Gordon  1 , Oscar Ortega, Guillermina Kuan, Arthur Reingold, Saira Saborio, Angel Balmaseda, Eva Harris
Affiliations

Prevalence and seasonality of influenza-like illness in children, Nicaragua, 2005-2007

Aubree Gordon et al. Emerg Infect Dis. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Although information about seasonality and prevalence of influenza is crucial for development of effective prevention and control strategies, limited data exist on the epidemiology of influenza in tropical countries. To better understand influenza in Nicaragua, we performed a prospective 2-year cohort study of influenza-like illness (ILI) involving 4,276 children, 2-11 years of age, in Managua, during April 2005-April 2007. One peak of ILI activity occurred during 2005, in June-July; 2 peaks occurred during 2006, in June-July and November-December. The rate of ILI was 34.8/100 person-years. A household risk factor survey administered to a subset (61%) of participants identified the following risk factors: young age, asthma, and increasing person density in the household. Influenza virus circulation was confirmed during each ILI peak by laboratory testing of a subset of samples. Our findings demonstrate a high rate of ILI, with seasonal peaks, in children in Nicaragua.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age-stratified incidence (cases/100 person-years) of influenza-like illness in cohort of children 2–9 years of age in Nicaragua. Error bars indicate SEM.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Incidence (cases/100 person-years) of influenza-like illness (ILI) in a cohort of children in Nicaragua, showing seasonal peaks, April 16, 2005–April 15, 2006, and April 16, 2006–April 15, 2007. A) Incidence of ILI episodes per calendar week. B) Incidence of high-probability ILI episodes per calendar week. C) Incidence of ILI in children 6–12 years of age per calendar week. All curves were smoothed by Lowess (19) by using a 3-week moving average.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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