Dynamics of the incidence rate of pneumonia in children in Ukraine over the past 20 years

Pneumonia ranks third in the structure of hospital mortality in infants after perinatal pathology and congenital malformations in Ukraine. Over the past 20 years in Ukraine, there has been a 33,7% increase in the incidence of pneumonia in children (p˂0.01), with the predominant detection of this pathology in children from regions of the country who have problematic issues in the proper provision of pediatric services. The highest incidence of pneumonia in all age groups was observed in children of Ivano-Frankivsk, Rivne, Kyiv and Vinnitsa regions. Thanks to the progressive development of domestic pediatrics and the introduction of modern medical and diagnostic technologies, in particular, vaccine prophylaxis, over the past 20 years, the death rate of children from acute infections of the upper respiratory tract, pneumonia and influenza has decreased by almost 5 times. Changes in recent years in the incidence of pneumonia in children correspond to the dynamics of the spread of influenza and acute respiratory viral infection, especially during the epidemics 2009-2010 and 2015-2016. Assessing the dynamics of this indicator in subsequent periods is extremely important in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which continues.