Burden of Acute Lower Respiratory Infection in Children in Thailand in 2010: Have We Achieved the National Target in Under-five Morbidity and Mortality?
Jamaree Teeratakulpisarn MD*, Rattapon Uppala MD*, Kaewjai Thepsuthammarat PhD**, Sumitr Sutra MD*
Affiliation : * Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand ** Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Background : National reports indicate that morbidity and mortality from pneumonia among Thai children has decreased
dramatically since the turn of the millennia; notwithstanding, pneumonia remains the leading cause of admission and death
in Thai children under five years of age.
Objective : To assess the burden and pattern of acute lower respiratory infection in under-fives in Thailand from the health
data in 2010.
Material and Method: Information on respiratory infection using the ICD10: J09-J22 was evaluated for the number of OPD
visits, admissions, mortality, monthly incidence and co-morbidities of the mortality.
Results : 73% of all OPD visits with ALRI were in under-fives: one-fourth of whom required hospitalization. Pneumonia is the
leading cause of both admissions and mortality (3.22% and 11.29/100,000 population for this age group, respectively). The
highest mortality was in the first year of life (39/100,000). One-fourth of the children (168/639) died within 24 hours of
admission and septicemia was the most common co-morbidity.
Conclusion : The respective morbidity and mortality of pneumonia in under-fives fell far short of national targets. To achieve
these targets, many key aspects are needed; such as, strengthening the knowledge of healthcare personnel, the cost-effectiveness
researches on the causative organism detection and the expanding coverage of the preventable-vaccine.
Keywords : Acute lower respiratory infection, Pneumonia, Children under five
