RESUMO
There are gaps in the knowledge about the burden of severe respiratory disease in the Eastern Mediterranean Region [EMR]. This literature review was therefore conducted to describe the burden of epidemic- and pandemic-prone acute respiratory infections [ARI] in the Region which may help in the development of evidence-based disease prevention and control policies. Relevant published and unpublished reports were identified from searches of various databases; 83 documents fulfilled the search criteria. The infections identified included: ARI, avian influenza A[H5N1], influenza A[H1N1]pdm09 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus [MERS-CoV] infection. Pneumonia and ARIs were leading causes of disease and death in the Region. Influenza A[H1N1] was an important cause of morbidity during the 2009 pandemic. This review provides a descriptive summary of the burden of acute respiratory diseases in the Region, but there still remains a lack of necessary data