Pneumonia incidence and mortality in mainland China:Systematic review of Chinese and English literature,1985-2008

Objective Pneumonia is the leading killer of infectious diseases worldwide,yet the incidence and mortality in China are not widely recognized,as much of the data are published in the non-English literature.Methods We systematically reviewed the Chinese-and English-language literature for clinical and community-based studies with primary data on pneumonia incidence and mortality in mainland China.Between 1985 and 2008,37 studies met the inclusion criteria.Results For children 5 years,pneumonia incidence ranged from 0.03 to 0.66 episodes per person-year and mortality from pneumonia ranged from 184 to 1,223 deaths per 100,000 population.Pneumonia incidence and mortality were stable or decreased over the study period and were higher in rural compared to urban areas.Conclusions Pneumonia continues to be a leading public health challenge in China.New prevention efforts and the use of vaccines may be needed to achieve additional declines,especially in areas with higher incidence and mortality such as rural settings.