Pediatric hospital admissions from influenza A (H1N1) in Brazil: effects of the 2010 vaccination campaign

lIn 2009, the influenza A (H1N1) virus spread rapidly around the world, causing the first pandemic of the 21st Century. In 2010, there was a vaccination campaign against this new virus subtype to reduce the morbidity and mortality of the disease in some countries, including Brazil. Herein, we describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients under 19 years of age who were hospitalized with confirmed influenza A (H1N1) infection in 2009 and 2010. We retrospectively reviewed files from the pediatric patients who were admitted to a university hospital with real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed influenza A (H1N1) infection in 2009 and 2010. There were 37 hospitalized patients with influenza A (H1N1) in 2009 and 2 in 2010. In 2009, many of the hospitalized children had an underlying chronic disease and a lower median age than those not hospitalized. Of the hospitalized patients, 78% had a chronic disease, primarily pneumopathy (48%). The main signs and symptoms of influenza were fever (97%), cough (76%), and dyspnea (59%). Complications occurred in 81% of the patients. The median length of hospitalization was five days; 27% of the patients required intensive care, and two died. In 2010, two patients were hospitalized with influenza A (H1N1): one infant with adenovirus co-infection who had received one previous H1N1 vaccine dose and presented with respiratory sequelae and a 2-month-old infant who had a hospital-acquired infection. An impressive reduction in hospital admissions was observed in 2010 when the vaccination campaign took place in Brazil.

Factors associated with clinical, immunological and virological responses in protease-inhibitor-experienced brazilian children receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy containing Lopinavir-Ritonavir

This study evaluates clinical, virological and immunological responses to antiretroviral (ARV) therapy based on Lopinavir/ritonovir (LPV/r) in previously protease -inhibitor-experienced children. The study included 29 Brazilian children (median age = 5.91 years) who had failed previous ARV therapy and had begun a regimen based on LPV/r. At 12 months follow-up, a good virological response to LPV/r therapy was defined as achieving an undetectable viral load or as a decrease in plasma HIV RNA levels to > 1 log. A good immunological response was defined as an increase in CD4+ cell count from baseline sufficient to attain a better CDC immune stage classification. The number of infectious episodes 12 months before and 12 months after beginning LPV/r was assessed. Sixteen (55.2 percent) and 19 (65.5 percent) of 29 patients exhibited good virological and immunological responses, respectively. Baseline CD4+ values (>500) predicted both virological and immunological responses (p<0.05). Older children were less likely to develop an immunological response (p<0.001) than younger children. Nine children receiving 3 ARV drugs plus LPV/r showed an immunological response (100 percent) compared to 10/20 (50 percent) children receiving 2 drugs plus LPV/r (p=0.01). A lower number (n<5) of infectious episodes was noted after 12 months follow-up in children using the LPV/r regimen (p=0.006). There was a positive correlation between children whose baseline CD4+ values were greater than 500 cells/mm³ and virological responses. Although virological responses to therapy were seen in about half the children (55.2 percent), the use of HAART containing LPV/r provided clinical and immmunological benefits.