Human Parainfluenza Virus Associated With Substantial Number Of Pediatric Hospitalizations For ARI, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/4, Basilio) reports a study found that “the number of pediatric hospitalizations for acute respiratory infection (ARI) caused by human parainfluenza virus (PIV) is substantial in the United States, especially among infants aged 0 to 5 months, highlighting the need for better PIV prevention strategies in younger pediatric patients.” A total of 16,971 pediatric patients with ARIs were evaluated for the study. Researchers observed that “of patients with PIV-associated ARIs, 32.8% were positive for PIV-1, 15.5% for PIV-2, 40.3% for PIV-3, and 11.4% for PIV-4. In patients hospitalized for ARI due to other respiratory viruses, infections were predominantly attributed to rhinovirus/enterovirus (RV/EV; 43%) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV, 35%).” Researchers concluded, “Our results suggest that prevention efforts should focus on children less than 2 years of age, but that older children are also at risk for hospitalization for ARI associated with PIV infection.” The study was published in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.