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In sub-Saharan Africa, pneumonia is the leading cause of childhood death. Bacterial pneumonia is preventable by currently available vaccines, but viral pneumonia persists. In a recent study, researchers used molecular methods to determine the etiologies of viral pneumonia among infants and young children in rural Kenya. At the time of the study, children in the area were receiving Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine but not pneumococcal vaccine.
In 2007, 922 children aged 1 day to 12 years were admitted to the Kilifi District Hospital with severe or very severe pneumonia (by WHO criteria). Nasal washes from 759 of the children were tested for viral nucleic acids by polymerase chain reaction. One or more respiratory viruses were d…