BMJ Paediatrics Open (Sep 2019)

Respiratory syncytial virus prevalence in children admitted to five Kenyan district hospitals: a cross-sectional study

  • Mark Lee,
  • Jacqueline Le Geyt,
  • Stephanie Hauck,
  • Jennifer Mackintosh,
  • Jessica Slater,
  • Duke Razon,
  • Bhanu Williams

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2018-000409
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 3, no. 1

Abstract

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Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of under-five mortality globally. In Kenya, the reported prevalence of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in single-centre studies has varied widely. Our study sought to determine the prevalence of RSV infection in children admitted with ARI fulfilling the WHO criteria for bronchiolitis. This was a prospective cross-sectional prevalence study in five hospitals across central and highland Kenya from April to June 2015. Two hundred and thirty-four participants were enrolled. The overall RSV positive rate was 8.1%, which is lower than in previous Kenyan studies. RSV-positive cases were on average 5 months younger than RSV-negative cases.