BACKGROUND: Data on the contribution of specific infections to childhood deaths in developed countries are limited. METHODS: Infection-related deaths in children aged 28 days to 14 years who died in England and Wales between 2003 and 2005 were identified from routine anonymized death certificate dataset provided by the Office for National Statistics to the Health Protection Agency, using predefined International Classification of Diseases codes for infection. RESULTS: There were 1368 infection-related deaths documented, constituting 20% of all childhood deaths. An underlying medical condition was recorded in 50% (676 cases), the most common being prematurity in infants (322/660, 52%), cerebral palsy in 1 to 4 year olds (46/190, 24%), and malignancy (46/163, 28%) in 5 to 14 year olds. Of the 837 deaths where a pathogen was coded, 494 (59%) specified bacterial infection, 256 (31%) viral infection, and 69 (8%) fungal infection. Among deaths with recorded bacterial infections, a lower proportion of meningococcal and pneumococcal infections (14% [22/155] vs. 60% [205/339], P < 0.0001) and a higher proportion of Gram-negative enteric bacilli (78/155 cases [50%] vs. 17/339 cases [5%], P < 0.0001) were reported in children with and without documented underlying medical conditions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Infections continue to make a major contribution to deaths in children, particularly among those with underlying conditions. Identification of the pathogens associated with childhood deaths should help prioritize the development of intervention strategies for reducing pediatric mortality. Linkage of death registrations to national infectious disease surveillance systems should be undertaken to strengthen monitoring of infectious deaths and evaluate the effect of interventions.
BACKGROUND: Data on the contribution of specific infections to childhood deaths in developed countries are limited. METHODS:Infection-related deaths in children aged 28 days to 14 years who died in England and Wales between 2003 and 2005 were identified from routine anonymized death certificate dataset provided by the Office for National Statistics to the Health Protection Agency, using predefined International Classification of Diseases codes for infection. RESULTS: There were 1368 infection-related deaths documented, constituting 20% of all childhood deaths. An underlying medical condition was recorded in 50% (676 cases), the most common being prematurity in infants (322/660, 52%), cerebral palsy in 1 to 4 year olds (46/190, 24%), and malignancy (46/163, 28%) in 5 to 14 year olds. Of the 837 deaths where a pathogen was coded, 494 (59%) specified bacterial infection, 256 (31%) viral infection, and 69 (8%) fungal infection. Among deaths with recorded bacterial infections, a lower proportion of meningococcal and pneumococcal infections (14% [22/155] vs. 60% [205/339], P < 0.0001) and a higher proportion of Gram-negative enteric bacilli (78/155 cases [50%] vs. 17/339 cases [5%], P < 0.0001) were reported in children with and without documented underlying medical conditions, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Infections continue to make a major contribution to deaths in children, particularly among those with underlying conditions. Identification of the pathogens associated with childhood deaths should help prioritize the development of intervention strategies for reducing pediatric mortality. Linkage of death registrations to national infectious disease surveillance systems should be undertaken to strengthen monitoring of infectious deaths and evaluate the effect of interventions.
Authors: Bowen Fan; Juliane Klatt; Michael M Moor; Latasha A Daniels; Lazaro N Sanchez-Pinto; Philipp K A Agyeman; Luregn J Schlapbach; Karsten M Borgwardt Journal: Bioinformatics Date: 2022-06-24 Impact factor: 6.931
Authors: Samira Asgari; Paul J McLaren; Jane Peake; Melanie Wong; Richard Wong; Istvan Bartha; Joshua R Francis; Katia Abarca; Kyra A Gelderman; Philipp Agyeman; Christoph Aebi; Christoph Berger; Jacques Fellay; Luregn J Schlapbach Journal: Front Immunol Date: 2016-09-20 Impact factor: 7.561
Authors: Stephen Bernard Lambert; Robert S Ware; Anne L Cook; Frances A Maguire; David M Whiley; Seweryn Bialasiewicz; Ian M Mackay; David Wang; Theo P Sloots; Michael D Nissen; Keith Grimwood Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2012-10-31 Impact factor: 2.692
Authors: Shamez N Ladhani; Mary Ramsay; Ray Borrow; Andrew Riordan; John M Watson; Andrew J Pollard Journal: Arch Dis Child Date: 2016-01 Impact factor: 3.791
Authors: Simon Leigh; Alison Grant; Nicola Murray; Brian Faragher; Henal Desai; Samantha Dolan; Naeema Cabdi; James B Murray; Yasmin Rejaei; Stephanie Stewart; Karl Edwardson; Jason Dean; Bimal Mehta; Shunmay Yeung; Frans Coenen; Louis W Niessen; Enitan D Carrol Journal: BMC Med Date: 2019-03-06 Impact factor: 8.775