The Contribution of Influenza to Pediatric Fever at Webuye District Hospital

Abstract

We sought to understand the burden of influenza among febrile pediatric patients presenting to Webuye District Hospital in the municipality of Webuye, western Kenya. Overdiagnosis of malaria is a tremendous problem in this region, and as such, there is a need to distinguish between malaria and other causative agents of fever. Rapid diagnostic tests were used to determine the prevalence of influenza in this population. Bivariable analyses were done using the Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's Exact tests, and multivariable logistic regression was utilized to understand the relationship between individual clinical symptoms and the likelihood of patients' having flu. The prevalence of influenza in the study population was determined to be 16.8%. According to Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Curve Analysis of the multivariable logistic regression models, fever temperature, cough, hemoglobin level, and vomiting were all associated with flu status; taken together, these symptoms could potentially serve as an aid in triaging patients at their time of seeing a provider. However, laboratory tests such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR), viral cell culture, and malaria blood smear readingsremain the ideal method for distinguishing between influenza and malaria in febrile pediatric patients.