Epidemiological characteristics of varicella outbreaks in the Republic of Korea, 2016–2020
10.24171/j.phrp.2022.0087
- Author:
Eun-Young KIM
1
;
Chungmin PARK
;
Gyehee LEE
;
Suyeon JEONG
;
Jeongsuk SONG
;
Dong-Han LEE
Author Information
1. Chungcheong Regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Daejeon, Korea
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:
Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
2022;13(2):133-141
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Objectives:We described the trends and epidemiological characteristics of varicella outbreaks from 2016 to 2020 in the Republic of Korea.
Methods:We investigated variables such as the outbreak setting, age of patients, vaccination status, and lesion count. The collected data were analyzed with the Cochrane-Armitage trend test and Kruskal-Wallis test. These statistical tests were performed using R ver. 4.0.3.
Results:The number of varicella outbreaks increased from 2016 to 2018; however, after a slight decrease in the number of outbreaks in 2019, the number fell sharply in 2020. The median size of outbreaks decreased from 8 to 9 cases during 2016−2019 to 6 cases in 2020. The median duration of outbreaks was 18 days during 2016−2017, 28 days in 2018, 29 days in 2019, and 15 days in 2020. Varicella outbreaks occurred most frequently in elementary schools, and vaccination coverage of patients increased from 89.4% in 2016 to 97.2% in 2019. The median age of patients with outbreak-related varicella decreased from 8 years in 2016 to 6 years in 2020.
Conclusion:Significant changes were observed in the age of patients with outbreak-related varicella. Ongoing monitoring of varicella outbreaks should be conducted. Further research will be needed to measure the disease burden of varicella and enable evidence-based policy decisions.
