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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Children and Health
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1557076
Epidemiological Trends and Pathogen Analysis of Pediatric Acute Respiratory Infections in Hanzhong Hospital, China: Insights from 2023 to 2024
Provisionally accepted- Hanzhong Central Hospital, Hanzhong, China
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Background: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a leading cause of morbidity in children.Understanding the distribution of respiratory pathogens is crucial for effective prevention and treatment. This study analyzed the prevalence and epidemiological characteristics of ARIs in children from 2023 to 2024.Methodology: This study included 9,294 children aged 0-18 years with ARI symptoms who were treated between July 2023 and August 2024. Respiratory samples were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for eight common viruses. Data were analyzed by age and gender to assess pathogen distribution and demographic patterns.Results: A total of 14,722 samples were enrolled, with 2,888 (19.62%) testing positive for at least one pathogen. Among these, single-pathogen infections were predominant (97.66%, 2,756/2,822), while co-infections were less frequent (2.34%, 66/2,822). The three most common pathogens were adenovirus (ADV, 33.24%), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP, 25.07%), and whooping cough (WC, 22.78%). No significant gender differences were observed in the overall positive rate or pathogen distribution (p > 0.05). Pathogen detection rates varied significantly by age group (χ² = 110.03, p < 0.001), with WC and MP being most prevalent in school-age children (χ² = 104.58, p < 0.001; χ² = 11.546, p = 0.009, respectively) and Flu A more frequent in preschool children (χ² = 38.738, p < 0.001). MP, WC, ADV, human rhinovirus, and human metapneumovirus were detected throughout the year.The findings highlight that ARIs in children are primarily caused by single respiratory pathogens, with significant age-related differences in pathogen prevalence. These results emphasize the need for age-specific prevention strategies, such as targeted vaccination programs and public health interventions, particularly for school-age children during peak transmission periods.
Keywords: Children, Acute respiratory infection, Epidemiology, respiratory pathogens, Co-infection
Received: 08 Jan 2025; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 He, He, He, Wang, Gao, Sheng and Tang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jin Tang, Hanzhong Central Hospital, Hanzhong, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.