In Bondo District, the pneumonia burden is greatest among young children and middle-aged adults, the latter peak reflecting the area's HIV epidemic. Access to care likely influenced hospital utilization and thus pneumonia rates, particularly among the elderly. Our findings show that hospital-based data can provide useful information for public health priority setting, such as the introduction of new pneumonia vaccines for children and accelerating the introduction of antiretroviral medications.

The trends revealed here provide useful data for public health priority setting and planning, including preventative interventions. The utility of such data justifies renewed efforts to establish and strengthen health management information systems in developing countries.