RESUMO
BACKGROUND: From January 2014-July 2014, more than 46 000 unaccompanied children (UC) from Central America crossed the US-Mexico border. In June-July, UC aged 9-17 years in 4 shelters and 1 processing center in 4 states were hospitalized with acute respiratory illness. We conducted a multistate investigation to interrupt disease transmission. METHODS: Medical charts were abstracted for hospitalized UC. Nonhospitalized UC with influenza-like illness were interviewed, and nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected to detect respiratory pathogens. Nasopharyngeal swabs were used to assess pneumococcal colonization in symptomatic and asymptomatic UC. Pneumococcal blood isolates from hospitalized UC and nasopharyngeal isolates were characterized by serotyping and whole-genome sequencing. RESULTS: Among 15 hospitalized UC, 4 (44%) of 9 tested positive for influenza viruses, and 6 (43%) of 14 with blood cultures grew pneumococcus, all serotype 5. Among 48 nonhospitalized children with influenza-like illness, 1 or more respiratory pathogens were identified in 46 (96%). Among 774 nonhospitalized UC, 185 (24%) yielded pneumococcus, and 70 (38%) were serotype 5. UC transferring through the processing center were more likely to be colonized with serotype 5 (odds ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 2.1-6.9). Analysis of core pneumococcal genomes detected 2 related, yet independent, clusters. No pneumococcus cases were reported after pneumococcal and influenza immunization campaigns. CONCLUSIONS: This respiratory disease outbreak was due to multiple pathogens, including Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 5 and influenza viruses. Pneumococcal and influenza vaccinations prevented further transmission. Future efforts to prevent similar outbreaks will benefit from use of both vaccines.
Assuntos
Surtos de Doenças/estatística & dados numéricos , Influenza Humana , Pneumonia Pneumocócica , Refugiados/estatística & dados numéricos , Infecções Respiratórias , Populações Vulneráveis/estatística & dados numéricos , Adolescente , Criança , Feminino , Hospitalização , Humanos , Vacinas contra Influenza , Influenza Humana/epidemiologia , Influenza Humana/prevenção & controle , Influenza Humana/virologia , Masculino , México/etnologia , Nasofaringe/microbiologia , Nasofaringe/virologia , Orthomyxoviridae , Vacinas Pneumocócicas , Pneumonia Pneumocócica/epidemiologia , Pneumonia Pneumocócica/microbiologia , Pneumonia Pneumocócica/prevenção & controle , Infecções Respiratórias/epidemiologia , Infecções Respiratórias/microbiologia , Infecções Respiratórias/prevenção & controle , Fatores de Risco , Streptococcus pneumoniae , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution and malnutrition, particularly anemia, are risk factors for pneumonia, a leading cause of death in children under five. We simultaneously assessed these risk factors in Quito, Ecuador. METHODS: In 2005, we studied two socioeconomically similar neighborhoods in Quito: Lucha de los Pobres (LP) and Jaime Roldos (JR). LP had relatively high levels of air pollution (annual median PM2.5 = 20.4 µg/m3; NO2 = 29.5 µg/m3) compared to JR (annual median PM2.5 = 15.3 µg/m3; NO2 = 16.6 µg/m3). We enrolled 408 children from LP (more polluted) and 413 children from JR (less polluted). All subjects were aged 18-42 months. We obtained medical histories of prior physician visits and hospitalizations during the previous year, anthropometric nutrition data, hemoglobin levels, and hemoglobin oxygen saturation via oximetry. RESULTS: In anemic children, higher pollution exposure was significantly associated with pneumonia hospitalization (OR = 6.82, 95%CI = 1.45-32.00; P = 0.015). In non-anemic children, no difference in hospitalizations by pollution exposure status was detected (OR = 1.04, NS). Children exposed to higher levels of air pollution had more pneumonia hospitalizations (OR = 3.68, 1.09-12.44; P = 0.036), total respiratory illness (OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.92-4.47; P < 0.001), stunting (OR = 1.88, 1.36-2.60; P < 0.001) and anemia (OR = 1.45, 1.09-1.93; P = 0.013) compared to children exposed to lower levels of air pollution. Also, children exposed to higher levels of air pollution had significantly lower oxygen saturation (92.2% ± 2.6% vs. 95.8% ± 2.2%; P < 0.0001), consistent with air pollution related dyshemoglobinemia. CONCLUSIONS: Ambient air pollution is associated with rates of hospitalization for pneumonia and with physician's consultations for acute respiratory infections. Anemia may interact with air pollution to increase pneumonia hospitalizations. If confirmed in larger studies, improving nutrition-related anemia, as well as decreasing the levels of air pollution in Quito, may reduce pneumonia incidence.