[Respiratory viral infections in young children 1985-1988].

In the period from May 1985 to June 1988 the authors (using the immunofluorescence method) examined 848 children aged 0-2 years hospitalized due to infections of respiratory tracts in the II Clinic of Pediatrics of the Pediatrics Department of the II Medical Faculty in the Medical Academy in Warsaw. The most frequent causes of infections in respiratory tracts were virus RS (21.1% of patients) and virus of parainfluenza type 3 (6.5% of patients). An increase in viral respiratory infections took place every year between early autumn and late spring. Virus RS was permanently present in the population examined, though significant increases in the number of children infected by that virus appeared from March to May and from October to January in every year of the examination. An increased incidence of type 3 parainfluenza virus infections usually appeared in September. Among the children examined, the authors also found 25 cases of simultaneous infections by two different viruses. The most frequent combination of infecting viruses were virus RS and virus of parainfluenza type 3.