Enhanced surveillance for severe pneumonia, Thailand 2010-2015

• Published in: BMC public health 2019-05, Vol.19 (Suppl 3), p.472-472, Article 472
• Main Authors: Bunthi, Charatdao, Baggett, Henry C, Gregory, Christopher J, Thamthitiwat, Somsak, Yingyong, Thitipong, Paveenkittiporn, Wantana, Kerdsin, Anusak, Chittaganpitch, Malinee, Ruangchira-Urai, Ruchira, Akarasewi, Pasakorn, Ungchusak, Kumnuan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Analysis; Avian flu; Bacteria; CAP; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; Childrens health; Community-Acquired Infections - epidemiology; Community-Acquired Infections - microbiology; Community-acquired pneumonia; Coronaviridae; Coronaviruses; Disease; Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Etiology; Etiology (Medicine); Female; Global health security; Guidelines; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Hospitals - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Infant; Infections; Intensive care; Intubation; Laboratories; Lung diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Middle East respiratory syndrome; Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus; Nervous system diseases; Neurological diseases; Outbreaks; Pathogenic microorganisms; Pathogens; Pathology; Patients; Physicians; Pneumonia; Pneumonia - epidemiology; Pneumonia - microbiology; Polymerase chain reaction; Population density; Population Surveillance - methods; Public health; Radiographs; Respiratory diseases; Respiratory syncytial virus; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human; Reverse transcription; Risk factors; Security; Security management; Severe pneumonia; Surveillance; Thailand - epidemiology; Ventilators; Viruses; World health; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2458; 1471-2458
• DOI: 10.1186/s12889-019-6774-5

The etiology of severe pneumonia is frequently not identified by routine disease surveillance in Thailand. Since 2010, the Thailand Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and US CDC have conducted surveillance to detect known and new etiologies of severe pneumonia. Surveillance for severe community-acquired pneumonia was initiated in December 2010 among 30 hospitals in 17 provinces covering all regions of Thailand. Interlinked clinical, laboratory, pathological and epidemiological components of the network were created with specialized guidelines for each to aid case investigation and notification. Severe pneumonia was defined as chest-radiograph confirmed pneumonia of unknown etiology in a patient hospitalized ≤48 h and requiring intubation with ventilator support or who died within 48 h after hospitalization; patients with underlying chronic pulmonary or neurological disease were excluded. Respiratory and pathological specimens were tested by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction for nine viruses, including Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and 14 bacteria. Cases were reported via a secure web-based system. Of specimens from 972 cases available for testing during December 2010 through December 2015, 589 (60.6%) had a potential etiology identified; 399 (67.8%) were from children aged