Aykut Eşki

and 4 more

Introduction: Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is recognized as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children worldwide. Respiratory viruses, particularly respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza virus A (IVA), are the leading causes of hospitalization among children. Meteorological conditions significantly influence seasonal respiratory virus epidemics, yet the connection between these factors and virus infection in children remains poorly understood. We aimed to investigate the relationship between meteorological conditions and the incidence of respiratory viruses among hospitalized children. Methods: We carried out a retrospective study examining children under 18 hospitalized with ALRI from January 2013 to January 2020. Using negative binomial regression, we analyzed the relationship between meteorological conditions (average monthly temperature, relative humidity, rainfall, and wind speed) and the monthly incidence of respiratory viruses. Results: Out of the 5313 children included in the study, HRV (31.9%), RSV (23.8%), and IVA (16.0%) were identified as the most common respiratory viruses. In the analysis, the monthly RSV and IVA infections were independently associated with temperature [(IRR 0.84; 95% CI 0.79-0.90; P <.001) and (IRR 0.86; 95% CI 0.81-0.92; P <.001)] and rainfall [(IRR 1.19, 95% CI 1.01-1.39; P =.03) and (IRR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06-1.37; P =.005)]. Temperature was the notable predictor for HRV, IVB, and HCoV infections, as well as HMPV infections, which were also positively affected by low relative humidity. Conclusions: Low temperatures are linked to higher RSV, IVA, IVB, HCoV, and HMPV infections. Rainfall predicts RSV and IVA infections, while relative humidity predicts HMPV infections.