Epidemiology of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness and Risk Factors for Influenza Infection and Clinical Severity among Adults in Malawi, 2011-2013.

ABSTRACT: Data on the epidemiology of severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) in adults from low-income, high human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence African settings are scarce. We conducted adult SARI surveillance in Blantyre, Malawi. From January 2011 to December 2013, individuals aged ≥ 15 years with SARI (both inpatients and outpatients) were enrolled at a large teaching hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. Nasopharyngeal aspirates were tested for influenza and other respiratory viruses by polymerase chain reaction. We estimated hospital-attended influenza-positive SARI incidence rates and assessed factors associated with influenza positivity and clinical severity (Modified Early Warning Score > 4). We enrolled 1,126 SARI cases; 163 (14.5%) were positive for influenza. Human immunodeficiency vir

SUBMITTER: Ho A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6169174 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature