Giuseppe
Emeritus
[Source: PLoS ONE, full text: (LINK). Abstract, edited.]
Effect of the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic on the Incidence of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis and on Hygiene Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study
Hyun Su Kim<SUP>1</SUP>, Ho Chun Choi<SUP>1</SUP>, Belong Cho<SUP>1</SUP><SUP>*</SUP>, Joon Yong Lee<SUP>2</SUP>, Min Jeong Kwon<SUP>3</SUP>
1 Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2 Department of Family Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 3 Division of Infectious Disease Surveillance, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chungcheongbuk-Do, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Background
EKC is transmitted chiefly by direct hand contact. It is suspected that the 2009/2010 influenza pandemic influenced hand washing. This study aims to examine the relationship between the 2009/2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic and hygiene behavior.
Methods
We compared the EKC prevalence trends before, during and after the 2009/2010 influenza pandemic by using a t-test comparison of EKC sentinel surveillance.
Results
During the pre-pandemic period, the incidence of EKC increased from the 21st to the 44th week each year. However, during the pandemic period in 2009, there was no epidemic peak. In the post-pandemic period, the epidemic curve was similar to that in the pre-pandemic period. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the total number of EKC patients during the pandemic period showed a decrease of 44.9% (t value = −7.23, p = 0.002). Comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods by age group, we found there to be a significant decrease in the number of EKC patients for all age groups (−4.12≤t value≤−7.23, all P<0.05). This finding was most evident in the teenage group (62%) compared to the other age groups (decreases of 29 to 44%).
Conclusions
A continuing effort should be made to educate the public on basic infection prevention behaviors in the aftermath of the pandemic, particularly to teenagers.
Citation: Kim HS, Choi HC, Cho B, Lee JY, Kwon MJ (2011) Effect of the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic on the Incidence of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis and on Hygiene Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study. PLoS ONE 6(8): e23444. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023444
Editor: Abdisalan Mohamed Noor, Kenya Medical Research Institute - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
Received: March 4, 2011; Accepted: July 18, 2011; Published: August 16, 2011
Copyright: ? 2011 Kim et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: These authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* E-mail: Belong@snu.ac.kr
- -------Hyun Su Kim<SUP>1</SUP>, Ho Chun Choi<SUP>1</SUP>, Belong Cho<SUP>1</SUP><SUP>*</SUP>, Joon Yong Lee<SUP>2</SUP>, Min Jeong Kwon<SUP>3</SUP>
1 Department of Family Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 2 Department of Family Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 3 Division of Infectious Disease Surveillance, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chungcheongbuk-Do, Republic of Korea
Abstract
Background
EKC is transmitted chiefly by direct hand contact. It is suspected that the 2009/2010 influenza pandemic influenced hand washing. This study aims to examine the relationship between the 2009/2010 H1N1 influenza pandemic and hygiene behavior.
Methods
We compared the EKC prevalence trends before, during and after the 2009/2010 influenza pandemic by using a t-test comparison of EKC sentinel surveillance.
Results
During the pre-pandemic period, the incidence of EKC increased from the 21st to the 44th week each year. However, during the pandemic period in 2009, there was no epidemic peak. In the post-pandemic period, the epidemic curve was similar to that in the pre-pandemic period. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, the total number of EKC patients during the pandemic period showed a decrease of 44.9% (t value = −7.23, p = 0.002). Comparing the pre-pandemic and pandemic periods by age group, we found there to be a significant decrease in the number of EKC patients for all age groups (−4.12≤t value≤−7.23, all P<0.05). This finding was most evident in the teenage group (62%) compared to the other age groups (decreases of 29 to 44%).
Conclusions
A continuing effort should be made to educate the public on basic infection prevention behaviors in the aftermath of the pandemic, particularly to teenagers.
Citation: Kim HS, Choi HC, Cho B, Lee JY, Kwon MJ (2011) Effect of the H1N1 Influenza Pandemic on the Incidence of Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis and on Hygiene Behavior: A Cross-Sectional Study. PLoS ONE 6(8): e23444. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0023444
Editor: Abdisalan Mohamed Noor, Kenya Medical Research Institute - Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kenya
Received: March 4, 2011; Accepted: July 18, 2011; Published: August 16, 2011
Copyright: ? 2011 Kim et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Funding: These authors have no support or funding to report.
Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
* E-mail: Belong@snu.ac.kr