Hospitalizations and deaths because of respiratory and diarrheal diseases among Haitian children under five years of age, 2011-2013

Background: Respiratory and diarrheal diseases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children younger than 5 years in developing countries. Data on the burden of these diseases in Haiti are scarce. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of hospital admission registries during January 1, 2011-December 31, 2013 for children younger than 5 years in 6 hospitals in Haiti. We recorded the number of all-cause, respiratory and diarrheal disease admissions and deaths by epidemiologic week and age. Results: A total of 31,565 hospital admissions and 1763 deaths were recorded among children aged <5 years during the study period. Respiratory diseases accounted for 9183 (29%) hospitalizations and 301 (17%) deaths. Children aged 6-23 months had the highest percentage of hospitalizations attributable to respiratory diseases (38%), whereas children aged 36-47 months had the highest proportion of deaths attributable to respiratory diseases (37%). Respiratory disease hospitalizations followed a bimodal seasonal pattern, with peaks during May-June and October- December. Diarrheal diseases accounted for 8063 (26%) hospitalizations and 224 (13%) deaths. Children aged 6-11 months had the highest percentage of diarrhea-associated hospitalizations (39%) and deaths (29%). Diarrheal disease admissions peaked in January-April before the rainy season. Conclusions: Respiratory and diarrheal diseases contributed to more than half of hospitalizations and almost a third of deaths in children younger than 5 years in Haiti. These data are essential to assess the impact of pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines and other interventions in Haiti.