Disease burden of parainfluenza virus

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The population-based inpatient disease burden of parainfluenza virus (PIV) among children <5 years of age was reported in this issue of The Journal in an article by Weinberg et al. The group used the New Vaccine Surveillance Network, established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which provides active and prospective surveillance of important childhood infections. The network combines epidemiologic analysis and molecular virologic diagnostic tests, thus able to provide an accurate estimate of disease burden. The contribution of PIV to pediatric hospitalization was substantial (1.02/1000 children hospitalized/year [95%CI 0.9-1.2]), a rate comparable with that of influenza. Using the current data, it was projected that 23 000 children <5 years of age would be hospitalized annually as a result of PIV infection. This would certainly have significant cost implications. These data add further evidence for the need of a vaccine to prevent morbidity from PIV infections, and the program needs to be completed at a young age to be effective.