The burden of pneumonia in children: an Australian perspective

The burden of pneumonia in Australian children is significant with an incidence of 5–8 per 1000 person-years. Pneumonia is a major cause of hospital admission in children less than 5 years of age. Indigenous children are at particular risk with a 10–20-fold higher risk of hospitalisation compared to non-Indigenous children. They also have longer admissions and are more likely to have multiple admissions with pneumonia. There are limited data on pathogen-specific causes of pneumonia, however Streptococcus pneumonia is the most common bacterial cause in children under 5 years of age and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are the predominant viral causes in young children. Pneumonia due to Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) has been virtually eliminated by the introduction of universal Hib immunisation. Further studies are needed to accurately define the epidemiology of pneumonia due to specific pathogens to help target treatment and immunisation strategies.