Enterovirus D68 infection among hospitalized children with severe acute respiratory illness in El Salvador and Panama, 2012-2013.

We assessed EV-D68 epidemiology and phylogenetics among children aged ≤9 years hospitalized with severe acute respiratory illnesses at five sites in Panama and El Salvador during 2012-2013. Respiratory specimens positive for enterovirus or rhinovirus were tested by real-time RT-PCR for EV-D68, and partial VP1 gene sequences were determined. Of 715 enrolled children, 17 from sites in both countries were EV-D68-positive and commonly had a history of asthma or wheezing.

Costs associated with acute respiratory illness and select virus infections in hospitalized children, El Salvador and Panama, 2012-2013.

Background And Objectives: Although acute respiratory illness (ARI) is a leading cause of hospitalization among young children, few data are available about cost of hospitalization in middle-income countries. We estimated direct and indirect costs associated with severe ARI resulting in hospitalization among children aged <10 years in El Salvador and Panama through the societal perspective.

Methods: During 2012 and 2013, we surveyed caregivers of children hospitalized with ARI about their direct medical (i.

What Is the Added Benefit of Oropharyngeal Swabs Compared to Nasal Swabs Alone for Respiratory Virus Detection in Hospitalized Children Aged <10 Years?

We evaluated the added value of collecting both nasal and oropharyngeal swabs, compared with collection of nasal swabs alone, for detection of common respiratory viruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in hospitalized children aged <10 years. Nasal swabs had equal or greater sensitivity than oropharyngeal swabs for detection of respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, and influenza virus but not parainfluenza virus. The addition of an oropharyngeal swab, compared with use of a nasal swab alone, increased the frequency of detection of each respiratory virus by no more than 10% in children aged <10 years.