ACUTE RESPIRATORY-INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN

During the past year important studies on the incidence and aetiology of acute respiratory infections have been published emphasizing the high incidence and diverse aetiology in children. Probabilities of diagnosing these infections are increasing, especially with the use of the polymerase chain reaction, which can, for example, be used for diagnosis of pertussis. Several vaccines against respiratory pathogens, notably pertussis, pneumococci, non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza and parainfluenza have entered, or are close to entering, safety and immunogenicity studies in children.