Sayyad Adel Al, Mohamed Afaf Merza, Alajaimi Bayan Abduljalil, Matar Ebrahim, Hasan Wafa Fawzi, Aldolabi Qatmeer, Abdulmahdi Abdulla Khalaf Abdulla, Yusuf Mohamed Saeed
Epidemiology & Public Health, Chief of Disease Control Section, Ministry of Health, CMMS, AGU, Manama, Bahrain.
Public Health Directorate, Ministry of Health, Manama, Bahrain *Email:
Qatar Med J. 2024 Jul 1;2024(3):28. doi: 10.5339/qmj.2024.28. eCollection 2024.
Severe acute respiratory tract infections (SARI) pose a health threat to children and adults worldwide. The SARI surveillance program was initiated in 2018 in Bahrain to monitor the activity of respiratory pathogens. Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) was chosen as the sentinel site for the SARI surveillance program. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology of SARI patients admitted to SMC from 2018 to 2022.
Patients meeting the World Health Organization definition of SARI and presenting with cough and fever within the last 10 days and admitted to SMC from January 2018 until December 2022 were included in the study. Epidemiological data on SARI cases were collected from SARI surveillance data and analyzed using SPSS version 25 and Excel.
A total of 1362 SARI cases were enrolled from January 2018 to the end of December 2022; the majority were males (57.7%, 786). The highest SARI incidence rates were recorded among individuals over 65 years old (155.5 per 100,000) in 2021 and among those under 5 years old (887 per 100,000) in 2020. About half of the patients had at least one comorbidity (54.0%, 735), with diabetes (23.0%, 313) and hypertension (17.2%, 234) being the most common. The highest number of cases was observed in 2021 (27%, 373), followed by 2018 (20%, 267). A viral pathogen was detected in 30.7% ( 418) of the SARI patients. The most prevalent pathogen was influenza A (11.5%, 156), followed by SARS-CoV-2 (9.7%, 132), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (5.1%, 69), and influenza B (3.9%, 53). The highest percentage of SARI cases was recorded in the winter months, mainly January (17%, 236). The percentages of influenza A and RSV cases were highest in December, at 22% ( 39) and 14% ( 25), respectively. Influenza B cases were recorded predominantly in March (9%, 11).
The incidence of SARI was highest among patients above 65 years old. The majority had comorbidities. Influenza and respiratory syncytial viruses were the most frequent causes of SARI, with influenza A being the most prevalent. December and January were the months with the highest SARI cases and viral detection rates. Promoting vaccination, timely testing, and prompt treatment, especially for the elderly and those with comorbidities, is key to reducing SARI-related morbidity and mortality, especially during peak seasons.
严重急性呼吸道感染（SARI）对全球儿童和成人的健康构成威胁。2018年在巴林启动了SARI监测项目，以监测呼吸道病原体的活动情况。萨勒曼尼亚医疗中心（SMC）被选为SARI监测项目的哨点。本研究旨在描述2018年至2022年期间入住SMC的SARI患者的流行病学特征。
纳入符合世界卫生组织SARI定义、在过去10天内出现咳嗽和发热症状且于2018年1月至2022年12月期间入住SMC的患者。从SARI监测数据中收集SARI病例的流行病学数据，并使用SPSS 25版和Excel进行分析。
2018年1月至2022年12月底共纳入1362例SARI病例；大多数为男性（57.7%，786例）。2021年65岁以上人群的SARI发病率最高（每10万人中155.5例），2020年5岁以下人群的发病率最高（每10万人中887例）。约一半的患者至少有一种合并症（54.0%，735例），其中糖尿病（23.0%，313例）和高血压（17.2%，234例）最为常见。病例数最多的年份是2021年（27%，373例），其次是2018年（20%，267例）。30.7%（418例）的SARI患者检测到病毒病原体。最常见的病原体是甲型流感（11.5%，156例），其次是严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2，9.7%，132例）、呼吸道合胞病毒（RSV，5.1%，69例）和乙型流感（3.9%，53例）。SARI病例数最高的月份是冬季，主要是1月（17%，236例）。甲型流感和RSV病例数在12月最高，分别为22%（39例）和14%（25例）。乙型流感病例主要在3月记录（9%，11例）。
65岁以上患者的SARI发病率最高。大多数患者有合并症。流感和呼吸道合胞病毒是SARI最常见的病因，其中甲型流感最为普遍。12月和1月是SARI病例数和病毒检测率最高的月份。推广疫苗接种、及时检测和及时治疗，特别是对老年人和有合并症的患者，是降低SARI相关发病率和死亡率的关键，尤其是在发病高峰期。
