Variability in published rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations: A systematic review, 2007-2018
Katherine Roguski, Melissa A. Rolfes, Jeremy Reich, Zachary Owens, Neha Patel, Julia Fitzner, Vanessa Cozza, Kathryn E. Lafond, Eduardo Azziz‐Baumgartner, A. Danielle Iuliano
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Influenza burden estimates help provide evidence to support influenza prevention and control programs at local and international levels. METHODS: Through a systematic review, we aimed to identify all published articles estimating rates of influenza-associated hospitalizations, describe methods and data sources used, and identify regions of the world where estimates are still lacking. We evaluated study heterogeneity to determine if we could pool published rates to generate global estimates of influenza-associated hospitalization. RESULTS: >99%), we were unable to pool published estimates. CONCLUSIONS: The variety of methods, data sources, and case definitions adapted locally suggests that the current literature cannot be synthesized to generate global estimates of influenza-associated hospitalization burden.