Influenza Other Respir Viruses

Clinical case definitions used for influenza surveillance among hospitalized patients vary and need systematic evaluation. DESIGN, SETTING AND SAMPLE: During July 2009-August 2011, we collected clinical data and specimens (nasal and throat swabs) from rural patients hospitalized for acute medical illnesses. Specimens were tested by rRT-PCR for influenza viruses.|Case definitions evaluated the following: influenza-like illness (ILI: measured fever plus cough or sore throat); severe acute respiratory illness (SARI: ILI with difficulty breathing in 655 years, Integrated Management of Childhood Illness-defined pneumonia or severe pneumonia, or physician diagnosed lower respiratory infection in <5 years); acute respiratory infection (ARI: 651 of cough, nasal discharge, difficulty breathing or sore throat); febrile acute respiratory illness (FARI: fever plus either cough, sore throat, runny nose, difficulty breathing, or earache). Variants that included "reported fever" and additional sign-symptom combinations were also evaluated.|We enrolled 1043 hospitalized patients, including 257 children