Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection common in children, supportive treatment effective
The study highlighted that prevention of influenza infection through vaccination is the best strategy to reduce its disease burden and high rates of school absenteeism.
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CHENNAI: Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infection (URI) is one of the most common illness in children of the age group 2-12 years.
However, a large number of them lack vaccination. A study published in the Tamil Nadu Journal of Public Health and Medical Research revealed that the majority of upper respiratory tract infections in children can resolve with supportive treatment and do not require antibiotics.
The study highlighted that prevention of influenza infection through vaccination is the best strategy to reduce its disease burden and high rates of school absenteeism.
It identified the prevalence of viral acute respiratory infection in pediatric age group of 2-12 years and identify the common causative viruses.
The study was conducted in Basic Emergency Obstetric and Newborn care services (BEmONC) centre in Adyar, and children who presented to the out patient department with symptoms of fever, cough and rhinorrhoea for a period of 5 days or more but less than 14 days suspected to be of viral etiology were included in the study.
The common symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections were fever, cough, rhinorrhoea, pharyngitis and conjunctivitis. It was found that none of them vaccinated for flu vaccine.
Respiratory syncytial virus and H1N1 infection were most common viral infections among children. About 81.54 percent of children were given supportive treatment and 18.46 percent received Oseltamivir.
Antibiotics were started empirically in 27.69 percent. About 76 percent children recovered within one week and all of them recovered within two weeks.
The authors of the study led by Fouziya Sultana S, pediatrician at Urban Community Health Centre noted that vaccination may also have a protective effect on the course of COVID-19 in the paediatric population.
The study is significant for the improvement and optimization of diagnostic tactics, as well as measures for the control and prevention of the respiratory viral infections.