Incidence of Healthcare-Associated Influenza-Like Illness After a Primary Care Encounter Among Young Children

BackgroundDespite potential respiratory virus transmission in pediatric clinics, little is known about the risk of healthcare-associated viral infections attributable to outpatient encounters. We evaluated whether exposure to a pediatric clinic visit was associated with subsequent influenza-like illness (ILI).MethodsUsing electronic health record data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of all children aged 8 days after a non-ILI encounter.ResultsAmong 149987 children 8 days after a non-ILI visit during season 1 were 1.36 (95% confidence interval, 1.22–1.52) among children ≥2 years of age and 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.93–1.09) among children ConclusionsPediatric clinic visits during a respiratory virus season were significantly associated with an increased incidence of subsequent ILI among children aged 2 to 6 years but not among those aged