Epidemiology, Prevention and Treatment of Influenza and Other Respiratory Infecti

描述（由申请方提供）：急性下呼吸道感染（ALRI）是全球常见的疾病原因，估计是第三大常见死亡原因，约占2004年所有死亡的7%。在加纳，包括呼吸道感染在内的传染病占该国所有死亡人数的40%以上，关于ALRI的流行病学数据很少或没有，几乎所有发热事件都被视为疟疾。呼吸道感染的流行病学、治疗和预防知识将有助于对ALRI的负担进行可靠的估计，为制定国家流感流行病防备计划提供信息。这些研究的核心将是：i）基于卫生设施的严重流感前瞻性监测; ii）孕妇及其婴儿队列; iii）幼儿队列，以估计这些人群中严重疾病的负担。 两组人作为未来疫苗试验的基线。我们将利用这些研究记录重度流感的住院率、流感负担以及人群、孕妇和幼儿中重度流感的风险因素，并评价DWD中流感和其他呼吸道病原体的病例定义。此外，我们还将对患有并发症和慢性疾病（如疟疾、艾滋病毒/艾滋病、结核病和糖尿病）的患者的流感和其他呼吸道病原体进行鉴定。我们亦会研究市民对流感病毒感染的免疫反应。这些研究将在该国的一个DSS站点Dangme West区开始，随后将分别过渡到中部地带的Kintampo和Navrongo以及几内亚北方大萨凡纳的另外两个人口监测站点。我们希望获得加纳流感和其他呼吸道感染的流行病学、治疗和预防的全面数据，包括重症流感的住院率、负担 流感和严重流感的危险因素。我们还将获得数据，以评价Dodowa区流感和其他呼吸道病原体的病例定义，并描述患有合并症和慢性疾病（如HIV/AIDS、结核病和糖尿病）的患者中流感和其他呼吸道病原体的特征。综合起来，这些研究的数据将使我们能够确定流感和其他呼吸道病原体作为该国健康状况不佳原因的相对重要性，并加强研究所在西非次区域其他地点进行培训的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) are a common cause of illness globally and it is estimated to be the third common cause of death, approximately 7% of all deaths in 2004. In Ghana, where infectious diseases including respiratory infections, constitute more than 40% of all deaths in the country, there is little or n data on the epidemiology of ALRI and almost all febrile episodes are treated as malaria. Knowledge of the epidemiology, treatment and prevention of respiratory infections will assist in producing reliable estimates of the burden of ALRI to inform the preparation of national preparedness plans against influenza epidemics. At the core of these studies will be; i) a health facility based prospective surveillance of severe influenza; ii) a cohort of pregnant women and their infants and iii) a cohort of young children to estimate the burden of severe disease in these two groups of persons as a baseline for future vaccine trials. We will use these studies to document among other things the hospitalization rate of severe influenza, the burden of influenza and risk factors for severe influenza in the population, pregnant women and young children as well as evaluate case definitions for influenza and other respiratory pathogens in the DWD. In addition we will characterize influenza and other respiratory pathogens in patients with co-morbid and chronic conditions such as malaria, HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Diabetes. We will also conduct studies on the immune response to influenza virus infection in the population. The studies will be initiated in the Dangme West District, one of the DSS sites in the country, and subsequently transition to the two other demographic surveillance sites in Kintampo and Navrongo in the middle belt and the northern guinea savannah respectively. We hope to obtain comprehensive data on the epidemiology, treatment and prevention of influenza and other respiratory infections in Ghana, including the hospitalization rate of severe influenza, the burden of influenza and risk factors for severe influenza. We will also obtain data to evaluate case definitions for influenza and other respiratory pathogens in the Dodowa district and characterize influenza and other respiratory pathogens in patients with co- morbid and chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Diabetes. Taken together, the data from these studies will enable us to determine the relative importance of influenza and other respiratory pathogens as causes of ill health in the country as well as strengthen the capabilities of the Institute to condct training for other sites in the West African sub-region.