Respiratory tract infection is a leading cause of morbidity
and mortality in children; however, the actual global burden
of diseases attributable to influenza virus in children is
unknown[1].
Nevertheless, influenza A viral infection propensity is
attributed to frequent antigenic shifts and drifts as well
as possessing a capacity to cause annual epidemics and
occasional pandemics[2]. Prompt and appropriate diagnosis
and therapy affect individual patients as well as whole
society, because local outbreaks may be detected and
control measures can be initiated[3].
Moreover, it is difficult to diagnose influenza clinically,
because its symptoms are nonspecific and a variety of
diseases share similar symptoms. A symptom complex for
influenza-like illness (ILI) has been used as a predictive
tool for the diagnosis of influenza infection at the primarycare
level[4]. Thus, recent appearance and worldwide
spread of novel influenza A virus have highlighted the need
to commercially available, widely used rapid influenza
diagnostic tests (RIDTs) for their ability to detect these viral
antigens in respiratory clinical specimens[5].
Although on 10 August, 2010, the Director General of the
World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the
world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert
and we are now moving into the post-pandemic period,
the virus transmission is still highly active in many parts[6].
However, the situation in Egypt was not yet clear. Thus, the
objective of this study—during the post-pandemic period
of swine flu—was to provide information regarding the
actual burden of influenza A viral infections in Egyptian
children.