Hospitalization due to human parainfluenza virus-associated lower respiratory tract illness in rural Thailand.

Background: Human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) are an important cause of acute respiratory illness in young children but little is known about their epidemiology in the tropics.

Methods: From 2003-2007, we conducted surveillance for hospitalized respiratory illness in rural Thailand. We performed reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal specimens and enzyme immunoassay on paired sera.

A comparison of population-based pneumonia surveillance and health-seeking behavior in two provinces in rural Thailand.

Objectives: Pneumonia is a leading cause of death worldwide, but there are limited population-based data on the burden of disease. We sought to determine the incidence of pneumonia in rural Thailand.

Methods: Active, population-based surveillance for hospitalized, radiologically-confirmed pneumonia was conducted in two rural Thai provinces.

A household survey to assess the burden of influenza in rural Thailand.

Little is known about the disease burden of influenza in middle-income tropical countries like Thailand. The recent outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) and studies on influenza from neighboring countries highlight the need for data on incidence, access to care, and health care cost. In May/ June 2003, we conducted a province-wide household survey using two-stage cluster sampling to determine the burden of influenza-like illness in Sa Kaeo Province.