Respiratory viral infections in hospitalized children: implications for infection control.

BACKGROUND

Identification of children with respiratory viral infections may augment infection-control practices on inpatient units. There are clinical syndromes leading to morbidity among hospitalized children, however, in which a viral etiology of the illness might not be considered.

METHODS

Virus infection rates among 243 children aged <1 to 19 years hospitalized between October 1993 and April 1994 with asthma, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, fever, apnea, croup, or respiratory distress were evaluated as part of a University of Maryland Medical Center infection-control protocol. Anonymous data collected included admission diagnoses, age, and virus-identification result.

RESULTS

Seventy-one children (29%) had a virus identified, including 19 of 123 (15%) with asthma, 4 of 12 (33%) with pneumonia, 27 of 47 (57%) with bronchiolitis, 13 of 41 (32%) with fever, 4 of 9 (44%) with apnea, 2 of 3 (67%) with croup, and 2 of 8 (25%) with unspecified respiratory distress.

CONCLUSION

This study reinforces the concept that clinicians should consider respiratory viruses for a broad range of diagnoses. This heightened awareness may help reduce the number of nosocomial respiratory viral infections.