Pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of hospitalization among children, and a recently published study estimates those hospitalizations cost the U.S. about $1 billion each year.
The study also revealed that respiratory viruses, not bacteria, were most commonly detected in children who were hospitalized for pneumonia — bacteria were detected in just 8 percent of the children with pneumonia, while one or more viruses were detected in 66 percent of the kids.
"This ground-breaking study shows how badly we need faster, less-expensive diagnostic tests for doctors to accurately diagnose the cause of pneumonia so they can effectively treat it," said Tom Frieden, MD, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.