Determinants of Community Acquired Pneumonia among Children in Kersa District, Southwest Ethiopia: Facility Based Case Control Study

The term pneumonia describes inflammation of parenchymal structures of the lung, such as the alveoli and the bronchioles. Pneumonias can be commonly classified according to the type of agent causing the infection, distribution of the infection and setting in which it occurs. Pneumonias are increasingly being classified as community-acquired and hospital-acquired (nosocomial) pneumonias. Community-acquired pneumonia is an infection that begins outside the hospital or is diagnosed within 48 hours after admission to the hospital in a person who has not resided in a long-term care facility for 14 days or more before admission. Community-acquired pneumonia may be either bacterial or viral. The etiologic agents of this infection include infectious and noninfectious agents [1]. The most common cause of infection in all age categories is Streptococcus pneumonia and it is the known leading bacterial cause of severe pneumonia among children across the developing world. Common viral causes of community-acquired pneumonia include the influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and Para influenza virus [1]. Bacterial pneumonia usually causes children to become severely ill with high fever and rapid breathing. Viral infections, however, often come on gradually and may worsen over time [1,2]. Children and infants with compromised immune systems, undernourished children, particularly those not exclusively breast fed or with inadequate zinc intake, are at higher risk of developing pneumonia. Environmental factors, such as living in crowded homes and exposure to parental smoking or indoor air Volume 5 Issue 2 2016