Acute Respiratory Infections

Abstract

1. In many parts of the world, data on the morbidity and mortality from ARI are sparse and unreliable. This emphasizes the need to improve the quality and validity of available statistics.

2. There is increasing evidence to support the link between childhood ARI and adult CAD. However, the importance of the link and how it operates is not yet known. Studies to determine the relative importance of different agents and their long-term consequences in the respiratory tract are needed.

3. Social and environmental factors probably influence the incidence of childhood ARI. Of these, indoor pollution from domestic fuels and cigarette smoke appeal to be the only factors that could be altered.

4. In adults the major effect of ARI is to increase mortality in those already afflicted by CAD.

5. The main possibilities for prevention of ARI lie in reducing susceptibility to the agents of ARI with vaccines, but relatively few suitable vaccines are available.

6. Other effective interventions include improved nutrition and better prenatal care to reduce the number of low birth weight infants.