Update: pneumonia-influenza and severe acute respiratory illnesses, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, July
Abstract:
Pneumonias are among the leading causes of hospitalizations of U.S. service members. During July 2000-June 2012, there were 13,291 incident hospitalizations for pneumonia and influenza. The most cases during any "respiratory illness year" (July-June) were in 2002-2003 (n=1,359); the fewest cases were in 2010-2011 (n=937). During 28 of the 31 months from December 2009 through June 2012, there were fewer pneumonia and influenza-related hospitalizations than expected (relative to the means for the respective months overall). The relatively few hospitalizations for pneumonia-influenza in recent years reflect, at least in part, the effectiveness of influenza vaccines against the predominant circulating strains of influenza viruses. During the period, on average, there were approximately three hospitalizations for "severe acute respiratory illnesses" (SARI) (e.g., acute respiratory failure or distress) per month; however, numbers of SARI-related hospitalizations generally increased during the period. The cause(s) of this increase are not clear.
Insights
Pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations decreased in U.S. service members, likely due to effective influenza vaccines. However, severe acute respiratory illness hospitalizations showed an increasing trend.
Area of Science:
- Military medicine
- Infectious disease epidemiology
Background:
- Pneumonias are a significant cause of hospitalization for U.S. military personnel.
- A 12-year study period (July 2000-June 2012) examined trends in pneumonia and influenza hospitalizations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze hospitalization trends for pneumonia and influenza (P&I) among U.S. service members.
- To investigate changes in severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) hospitalizations over the study period.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of hospitalization data for U.S. service members.
- Comparison of observed P&I hospitalizations against expected monthly averages.
- Trend analysis of SARI hospitalizations.
Main Results:
- A total of 13,291 P&I hospitalizations occurred between July 2000 and June 2012.
- P&I hospitalizations were lower than expected in most months from December 2009 to June 2012.
- SARI hospitalizations, while infrequent on average, demonstrated a general increase during the study period.
Conclusions:
- Influenza vaccination effectiveness against dominant strains likely contributed to reduced P&I hospitalizations.
- The increasing trend in SARI hospitalizations requires further investigation to determine underlying causes.
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