RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN IN A DESERT COUNTRY

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in infants and young children and adults. In the elderly and in children with congenital heart disease and immunosuppression, RSV infection can cause severe disease with substantial mortality. Most of the information on RSV infections comes from Western countries. However, several studies have shown its importance in other regions of the world including developing countries. The state of Kuwait lies at the northeast extremity of the Arabian peninsula. It is a very hot country with a desert climate and a short and mild winter of 3 months (December, January, February) during which a large number of children receive attention at various hospitals for ALRI. In summer temperatures often exceed 49 degree C in the shade, and in the coldest month temperatures average 10-16 degree C. The average annual rain fall is 5 to 15 cm. There is very little information on the role of RSV in ALRI in children in this region. This study, the first from Kuwait, provides data on the role of RSV in ALRI in children admitted to the teaching hospital (Mubarak Al-Kabeer of the Faculty of Medicine), Kuwait University, between August, 1993, and June, 1994.