The Pediatric infectious disease journal
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Dec 2006
Impact of rapid viral testing for influenza A and B viruses on management of febrile infants without signs of focal infection.
The objective of this study was to assess the effect of rapid testing for influenza virus on management of febrile young infants. ⋯ The inclusion of rapid influenza testing for the evaluation of febrile young infants without signs of focal infection during influenza season decreases the need for additional studies and reduces the length of stay in the ED, the use of antibiotic treatment and unnecessary hospitalizations.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Dec 2006
Decline in respiratory syncytial virus hospitalizations in a region with high hospitalization rates and prolonged season.
During 1993 to 1996, Alaska Native infants <1 year of age from the Yukon Kuskokwim (YK) Delta in Alaska experienced a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) hospitalization rate 5 times the U.S. general infant population rate. We describe trends in lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and RSV hospitalizations in YK children from 1994 to 2004. ⋯ In YK infants, the RSV hospitalization rate decreased by one-third between 1994 and 2004; however, the overall LRTI hospitalization rate did not change. The median RSV season was twice as long as for the U.S. population. Palivizumab prophylaxis may be responsible for the larger decrease in the RSV hospitalization rate among premature infants; however, the 2001-2004 RSV hospitalization rate among YK infants remained 3 times higher than the U.S. infant rate.