Uncovering the Burden of Influenza-Associated Illness across Levels of Severity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Across Three Seasons

作者：Amal M. Alshahrani, Ezzualdeen Okmi, Sheena G. Sullivan, Stefano Tempia, Amal Barakat, Hala Abou El Naja, Amir Aman, Osman Hamedelneil, Mutaz Mohamed, Seham F. Basheer, Ghaliah Albugami, Randah M. Alalweet, Norah Alhazir, Lama Alwalan, Najim Z. Alshahrani, Haleema Alsreehi, Abdullah M. Asiri · 发表于：Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1007/s44197-025-00390-1 · 被引用次数：9 · 研究领域：Influenza Virus Research Studies、Respiratory viral infections research、Pneumonia and Respiratory Infections

BACKGROUND: Influenza imposes a substantial global health burden, particularly among high-risk populations such as the elderly, young children, and individuals with chronic conditions. In Saudi Arabia, a national influenza sentinel surveillance program was established in 2017 to monitor respiratory virus trends, yet comprehensive estimates of the influenza-associated burden remain limited. This study aims to address this gap by quantifying influenza-associated severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) hospitalization rates and estimating the broader influenza burden across severity levels. METHODS: Data from four sentinel hospitals in three regions of Saudi Arabia were analyzed across three influenza seasons: 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2022-2023. Weekly SARI case counts were combined with census population data to calculate SARI hospitalization rates per 100,000 population. Influenza positivity rates, derived from laboratory-confirmed cases, were used to estimate influenza-associated SARI hospitalization rates, stratified by age and season. The John Hopkins University/WHO Seasonal Influenza Burden Disease Estimator (Flutool) was employed to extrapolate national estimates of influenza-associated hospitalizations, deaths, and mild/moderate cases. Confidence intervals and age-specific stratifications were computed to enhance precision and comparability. RESULTS: The average annual SARI hospitalization rate was 294 per 100,000 population (95% CI: 288-300). Influenza-associated SAR...