Risk factors and patterns of household clusters of respiratory viruses in rural Nepal

Scott, E. M.; Magaret, A.; Kuypers, J.; Tielsch, J. M.; Katz, J.; Khatry, S. K.; Stewart, L.; Shrestha, L.; LeClerq, S. C.; Englund, J. A.; Chu, H. Y.

Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is the primary cause of child morbidity and mortality worldwide with the vast majority of childhood deaths related to ALRI occurring in resourcelimited settings [1] . Respiratory viruses are increasingly recognised as a cause of severe ALRI in young children [2] . In many global regions where access to healthcare is limited, especially in rural areas, the true community-based burden of respiratory virus-associated ALRI remains poorly characterised [3] [4] [5] . In these settings, household surveillance studies can provide a more comprehensive evaluation of viral incidence, transmission and molecular epidemiology patterns in the community [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] .