Respiratory illnesses can include a variety of problems, including colds, flu, runny noses, coughs, and sore throats. Some children may also have chronic illnesses that affect the breathing system, including asthma and cystic fibrosis (CF).

Most children will develop at least six to eight colds, or other respiratory illness a year. This number may even be higher in children who attend daycare.

The following are some general facts about respiratory disorders in children:

• Ten to 15 percent of children with a respiratory infection may have pneumonia.
  
• Adolescents get colds, on average, two to four times a year.
  
• Eighty percent of bronchiolitis - a wheezing, asthma-like viral respiratory infection - occurs in the first year of life.
  
• Approximately 30,000 people in the US are affected each year with CF, and about 2,500 babies are born with the disease each year.
  
• Approximately 24.7 million people in the US have been diagnosed with asthma, with at least five million of them children under the age of 18.

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