Methods
Study design and
participants
9782 ARIs children were gathered from pediatric patients aged
< 14 years who were diagnosed at Shaoxing Maternal and Child
Health Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022. According to the
criteria of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
inclusion criteria were: (1) children < 18 years; (2) verified
fever with a body temperature exceeding 37.5℃; (3) one or more
respiratory symptoms during the 14-day commencement (cough, sore throat,
sputum, shortness of breath, lung auscultation abnormality (rale or
wheeze), tachypnea, and chest pain)[11]. Meanwhile, the exclusion
criteria were children: (1) having more than a visit during a week; (2)
having a hospital infection; (3) with congenital pulmonary airway
malformation and an impaired immune system; (4) being infected with
COVID-19. These patients were screened for several respiratory
pathogens. The study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of
Shaoxing Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital (2021006).