Hospitalization due to human parainfluenza virus–associated lower respiratory tract illness in rural Thailand

BACKGROUND Human parainfluenza viruses (HPIVs) are an important cause of acute respiratory illness in young children but little is known about their epidemiology in the tropics. METHODS From 2003-2007, we conducted surveillance for hospitalized respiratory illness in rural Thailand. We performed reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on nasopharyngeal specimens and enzyme immunoassay on paired sera. RESULTS Of 10,097 patients enrolled, 573 (5%) of all ages and 370 (9%) of children <5 years of age had evidence of HPIV infection (HPIV1=189, HPIV2=54, HPIV3=305, untyped=27). Average adjusted annual incidence of HPIV-associated hospitalized respiratory illness was greatest in children aged <1 year (485 per 100,000 person years). CONCLUSIONS In Thailand, HPIV caused substantial illnesses requiring hospitalization in young children.