DISEASES

Upper Respiratory Infections: Upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) are illnesses caused by an acute infection which involves the upper respiratory tract including the nose, sinuses, pharynx or larynx. This commonly includes nasal obstruction, sore throat, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, otitis media, and the common cold. Most infections are viral in nature and in other instances the cause is bacterial. Upper respiratory tract infections can also be fungal or helminth in origin, but these are far less common.

Between 1990 and 2015, 17.2 billion cases of upper respiratory infections were recorded. As of 2014, upper respiratory infections caused about 3,000 deaths down from 4,000 in 1990.