Source identification through social networks in an epidemiological investigation of a hepatitis A outbreak at an elementary school in Anhui province, China

In May 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of a Chinese county found a rapid increase in the number of hepatitis A case notification; these were traced to an outbreak in an elementary school. Twenty-eight cases aged between 7 and 13 years with onset between 7 May and 8 June were sero...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2014-07, Vol.142 (7), p.1450-1458
Main Authors: WU, J. B., LI, X. L., ZHANG, J., XU, D., ZHU, J. J., ZHOU, B. S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic grades
Adolescent
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child, Preschool
Children
China - epidemiology
Contact Tracing
Disease outbreaks
Disease Outbreaks - statistics & numerical data
Epidemics
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hand Disinfection
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A - diagnosis
Hepatitis A - epidemiology
Hepatitis A - prevention & control
Hepatitis A - transmission
Hepatitis A vaccines
Hepatitis A virus
Human viral diseases
Humans
Immunization
Infant
Infections
Infectious diseases
Male
Medical sciences
Microbiology
Original Papers
Risk Factors
Schools
Social networks
Social Support
Viral diseases
Viral hepatitis
Water consumption
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Summary:In May 2011, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of a Chinese county found a rapid increase in the number of hepatitis A case notification; these were traced to an outbreak in an elementary school. Twenty-eight cases aged between 7 and 13 years with onset between 7 May and 8 June were serologically confirmed. Network method was conducted to reconstruct an outbreak network and to quantify the relative importance of those involved in the outbreak. A case-control study was used to study the association between the outbreak and putative risk factors. The network analysis suggested this was a disseminated outbreak originating from a 4-year-old boy with propagated spread. Evidence from the case-control study supported consumption of well water as a potential risk factor; however, this was unable to be established through field investigation. Outbreak networks can be used to identify the possible source of infectious disease outbreak, especially when the environmental investigation information is negative or not available.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268813002331