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. 2014 Aug 18;9(8):e105543.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0105543. eCollection 2014.

The burden of influenza and RSV among inpatients and outpatients in rural western Kenya, 2009-2012

Gideon O Emukule  1 , Sammy Khagayi  2 , Meredith L McMorrow  3 , Rachel Ochola  2 , Nancy Otieno  2 , Marc-Alain Widdowson  4 , Melvin Ochieng  2 , Daniel R Feikin  5 , Mark A Katz  6 , Joshua A Mott  7
Affiliations

The burden of influenza and RSV among inpatients and outpatients in rural western Kenya, 2009-2012

Gideon O Emukule et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: In Kenya, detailed data on the age-specific burden of influenza and RSV are essential to inform use of limited vaccination and treatment resources.

Methods: We analyzed surveillance data from August 2009 to July 2012 for hospitalized severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) and outpatient influenza-like illness (ILI) at two health facilities in western Kenya to estimate the burden of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Incidence rates were estimated by dividing the number of cases with laboratory-confirmed virus infections by the mid-year population. Rates were adjusted for healthcare-seeking behavior, and to account for patients who met the SARI/ILI case definitions but were not tested.

Results: The average annual incidence of influenza-associated SARI hospitalization per 1,000 persons was 2.7 (95% CI 1.8-3.9) among children <5 years and 0.3 (95% CI 0.2-0.4) among persons ≥5 years; for RSV-associated SARI hospitalization, it was 5.2 (95% CI 4.0-6.8) among children <5 years and 0.1 (95% CI 0.0-0.2) among persons ≥5 years. The incidence of influenza-associated medically-attended ILI per 1,000 was 24.0 (95% CI 16.6-34.7) among children <5 years and 3.8 (95% CI 2.6-5.7) among persons ≥5 years. The incidence of RSV-associated medically-attended ILI was 24.6 (95% CI 17.0-35.4) among children <5 years and 0.8 (95% CI 0.3-1.9) among persons ≥5 years.

Conclusions: Influenza and RSV both exact an important burden in children. This highlights the possible value of influenza vaccines, and future RSV vaccines, for Kenyan children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flow diagram of the steps used for the calculation of incidence rates.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Seasonality of Influenza and RSV in Western Kenya, Aug 2009– Jul 2012.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Seasonality of influenza and circulating subtypes in Western Kenya, Aug 2009– Jul 2012.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Rates of influenza and RSV associated SARI by distance from SDH, Aug 2009– Jul 2012.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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