Synopsis
It is World Pneumonia Day on November 12th. Pneumonia remains a leading cause of death among young children despite the widespread introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common respiratory virus that may cause severe respiratory disease especially in infants. We will describe the findings of a systematic review, which was part of a series for WHO, which aimed to determine the common aetiology of severe and non-severe community acquired pneumonia among children 1 month to 9 years of age in low- and middle-income countries globally. We will also discuss the impact of the global pandemic on the epidemiology of respiratory infections with a focus on RSV.
Speakers
Dr Claire von Mollendorf is a medical epidemiologist currently working as a senior research officer in the New Vaccines and Asia-Pacific Health Research Groups at the Murdoch Children’s Research Unit (MCRI). She has a joint appointment as a Senior Fellow within the Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne. Claire has been with MCRI since 2017, and manages surveillance programmes in Mongolia and the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for Pneumococcal Disease Control in the Asia-Pacific grant.
Dr Danielle Wurzel is a respiratory physician at RCH, who has an interest in respiratory infections. Danielle leads a large observational study of hospitalised children with RSV and will present findings from the last four years with a focus on local epidemiology and management as well the impact of the pandemic response on seasonal respiratory viruses and pneumonia.