Epidemiology of Acute Lower Respiratory Disease in Children

RESPIRATORY infections are the major cause of morbidity due to acute illnesses in the United States.1 Children may experience six to eight acute respiratory illnesses per year,2 3 4 many of which, particularly in infancy, will involve the lower respiratory tract.4 , 5 Mortality resulting from acute lower respiratory disease is a serious problem in children under five years of age.6 7 8 A large proportion of these illnesses have been ascribed to specific respiratory viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae.9 , 10 Despite this information and the scientific knowledge and technical advances that have led to control of diseases such as poliomyelitis and measles, little progress has been . . .