Percentage of acute respiratory infection in children under five years in Mexico

Objective. To estimate the percentage of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in Mexican children under five years of age in the last two weeks, according to the Encuesta Nacional de Salud y Nutricion Continua 2022 (Ensanut Continua 2022). Materials and methods. We analyzed data from the Ensanut Continua 2022. Results. The percentage of ARI was 27.6% (95%CI: 25.2,30.1). The prevalence was higher in households with lower economic capacity (first tertile) (44.1% [95%CI: 38.0,50.4]).The most identified ARI alarm sign was "looking sicker" 33.0% (95%CI: 30.1,36.0), and the least was "pus coming out of the ear" (1.5% [95% CI: 0.9,2.7]). Conclusions. ARI affect about a third of children under five years of age in Mexico, particularly from households with lower economic capacities. It is necessary to strengthen prevention strategies including vaccination, control, and health promotion.