Viral AcuteRespiratory Illnesses Etiology Amongst Children with and Without ChildcareAccess

A recent study aimed to investigate the specific respiratory viruses prevalent in childcare settings as they pose a common risk for acute respiratory illness (ARI) in young children. 

The study entailed analyzingdata from a six-season household cohort study, including 1,418 ARIs reported by 359 children attending childcare. Respiratory swabs were examined for nine respiratory viruses using polymerase chain reaction. Statistical models were used to compare viral detection rates and diversity between childcare and homecare-associated ARIs.

The findings revealed that 75.5% of childcare-related ARIs and 80.1% of homecare-related ARIs had at least one virus detected. Childcare-associated illnesses had significantly higher odds of detecting adenovirus and human metapneumovirus compared to homecare illnesses. Additionally, the pool of viruses in childcare ARIs was more diverse and richer than those in homecare ARIs.

From the results, it was inferred that children in childcare settings are at a greater risk of adenovirus and human metapneumovirus infections and are exposed to a wide variety of respiratory viruses. This highlights the need for comprehensive viral prevention strategies in childcare environments.

Source: DeJonge PM, Monto AS, Malosh RE, et al. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 2023 Mar 16;42(6):443-8.