Factors associated with transmission of influenza‐like illness in a cohort of households containing multiple children

Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses

Chelsea R. Brown¹  James M. McCaw²  Emily J. Fairmaid³  Lorena E. Brown³  Karin Leder⁴  Martha Sinclair⁴ 

[1] Centre for Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic., Australia;Modelling & Simulation Unit, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Vic., Australia;Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Parkville, Vic., Australia;Infectious Disease Epidemiology Unit, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Prahran, Vic., Australia

关键词: Household transmission;    influenza;    influenza‐like illness;    respiratory viruses;    transmission;   

DOI  :  10.1111/irv.12331

来源: Wiley

【 摘 要 】

Abstract

Background

Household studies of influenza-like illness (ILI) afford opportunities to study determinants of respiratory virus transmission.

Objectives

We examined predictors of ILI transmission within households containing at least two children.

Methods

A prospective cohort study recorded ILI symptoms daily for 2712 adult and child participants during the 1998 influenza season in Victoria, Australia. Logistic and Poisson regressions were used to explore predictors of household transmission of ILI and the secondary household attack proportion (SHAP). A date of illness onset during the influenza season was used as a proxy indicator of ILI associated with influenza infection (as opposed to other aetiological causes).

Results

A total of 1009 ILI episodes were reported by 781 of 2712 (29%) participants residing in 157 households. Transmission, defined as detection of ILI in one or more household members following identification of an index case, was observed in 206 of 705 (29%) household introductions. Transmission of ILI was significantly associated with the onset of ILI in the index case during the peak influenza season compared with the remainder of the observation period (37% versus 27%, odds ratio = 1·59, 95% CI 1·09, 2·31, P = 0·017). The SHAP was 0·12, higher if the index case was of secondary school age [incidence risk ratio (IRR) = 1·80, 95% CI 1·08, 2·98, P = 0·022].

Conclusions

Risk of household transmission of ILI was increased during the peak influenza season, indicating an increased burden of disease during the period of influenza circulation. In this cohort, secondary-school-aged children and adults were important transmitters of ILI.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.