Seasonality and clinical characteristics of influenza-like illness and severe acute respiratory infection in children under 5 years in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh (2021-2023)
IJID Regions·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijregi.2026.100921
- PMID
- 42339474
- PMCID
- PMC13285367
- OpenAlex
- W7162130832
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The article addresses respiratory illness in young children in a high-burden Bangladeshi setting and reports seasonal influenza findings that may be relevant to planning vaccination or other interventions. The abstract also notes that broader testing would be needed because most cases were negative for the pathogens included.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study asked how ILI and SARI varied by season and clinical profile among children younger than 5 years in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, during 2021-2023.
Study design
This was prospective hospital-based surveillance conducted from January 2021 through December 2023 at District Head Quarter Hospital Cox's Bazar. Children meeting ILI or SARI criteria had respiratory swabs tested by multiplex real-time RT-PCR for influenza A/B, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV, with descriptive and regression analyses reported.
Population and setting
The population was 968 children under 5 years of age with ILI or SARI in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The setting was a hospital in an area described in the abstract as having high population density and monsoon seasonality.
Main findings
Pathogens in the test panel were found in 12.4% of children, and influenza accounted for most positives among the tested viruses. Detection peaked during June-September, with A(H3N2) more prominent earlier in that period and B(Victoria) later. SARI, breathlessness, age from 6 months to under 2 years, and higher fever were associated with positivity in the reported regression results.
Public-health relevance
The article addresses respiratory illness in young children in a high-burden Bangladeshi setting and reports seasonal influenza findings that may be relevant to planning vaccination or other interventions. The abstract also notes that broader testing would be needed because most cases were negative for the pathogens included.
Important limitations
The testing panel was limited to influenza A/B, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV, while most children were negative for those pathogens. The study was hospital-based in one Cox's Bazar facility, so the supplied abstract does not establish population-level incidence or generalizability beyond that surveillance setting.
GIDS interpretation
This article is discoverable in a GIDS-style evidence context through its links to influenza and Bangladesh, and it provides background on pediatric respiratory infections in Cox's Bazar. It should be treated as single-article contextual evidence rather than as confirmation of any live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 5 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.