Viral etiology of respiratory infections among patients at Adama Hospital Medical College, a facility-based surveillance site in Oromia, Ethiopia

BackgroundAcute viral origins account for around 80% of respiratory illnesses globally. The influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, coronavirus, adenovirus, and rhinovirus are the main viruses that cause these illnesses. All ages are susceptible to severe acute respiratory infections, which have a high rate of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to determine the prevalence of viral etiology of respiratory infections among patients attending the Oromia Sentinel Surveillance Sites between July 2022 and April 2023. MethodsA facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed. We followed the WHO case definitions for each patient with a severe acute respiratory infection. The throat-swab specimens were sent to the Adama Public Health Referral and Research Capacity Building Centre after being collected in viral transport media. After that, the CDC Multiplex RT-PCR amplification procedures were applied to the specimens to detect the presence of viral RNA using CDC Real-Time reverse transcription PCR techniques. Data quality assurance was maintained. SPSS version 29 statistical software was used to compute all analyses. At 95% CI and P-value <0.05, inferential analysis was performed. ResultsThe results of this study showed that out of three hundred twenty-two throat-swab specimens collected, 100% underwent testing. Eleven (28.2%) of the thirty-nine (12.9%) who tested positive for influenza were influenza B, twenty-five (89.3%) were influenza A (H3N2), three (10.7%) were influenza A (H1N1) pdm2009. The rates of influenza positivity by age group were 58.9%, 25.6%, 5.1%, 5.1%, and 5.1% for children under five years old, 5-14 years old, 15-49 years old, 50-64 years old, and older than or equal to 65 years old. Three hundred and twenty-two (100%), twenty-two (7.3%), and eleven (3.6%) of the specimens examined for severe acute respiratory infections proved positive for the RSV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses, respectively. Furthermore, of the severe acute respiratory infection specimens that tested positive for Respiratory syncytial virus, 91% were from under five age groups. ConclusionChildren under five are at risk of co-infection with various viruses, potentially leading to epidemics and severe illnesses. A comprehensive approach to IPC measures is needed to reduce these risks.