OBJECTIVETo explore the characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) transmission in the population base on analyzing the first imported case and the chains of transmission.

METHODSFor the first imported SARS case and cases who were transmitted by the index case, epidemiological investigations were conducted using the guidelines for surveillance and case investigation issued by the Ministry of Health. Data as the date of onset of symptoms, date of hospitalization, contact history etc. for each of the cases and their close contacts were collected and analyzed.

RESULTSThe first imported SARS case introduced to Beijing had infected 9 people within the family and at the hospital, with two of whom died of the same disease. The incubation period for that index case was 4 days, and that for the cases considered to be the secondary and tertiary generations were 7 and 8 days, respectively. The shorter the incubation period, the longer the fever would last and clinically more severe.

CONCLUSIONOne of the epidemiological characteristics of SARS in Beijing was noticed that the disease clustered in families and hospitals. Infection through droplets and close contact has been viewed as the primary mode of transmission.

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; transmission

During a four-week period, four healthy term newborn infants born at a regional maternity hospital in Korea developed late-onset neonatal group B Streptococcus (GBS) infections, after being discharged from the same nursery. More than 10 days after their discharge, all of the infants developed fever, lethargy, and poor feeding behavior, and were subsequently admitted to the Korea University Medical Center, Ansan Hospital. GBS was isolated from the blood cultures of three babies; furthermore, GBS was isolated from 2 cerebral spinal fluid cultures. Three babies had meningitis, and GBS was isolated from their cerebral spinal fluid cultures. This outbreak was believed to reflect delayed infection after early colonization, originating from nosocomial sources within the hospital environment. This report underlines the necessity for Korean obstetricians and pediatricians to be aware of the risk of nosocomial transmissions of GBS infection in the delivery room and/or the nursery.
Time Factors ; *Streptococcus agalactiae/isolation & purification ; Streptococcal Infections/*epidemiology/microbiology/transmission ; Pregnancy ; Meningitis, Bacterial/epidemiology/microbiology/transmission ; Male ; Korea/epidemiology ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Hospitals, Maternity ; Female ; *Disease Outbreaks ; Cross Infection/*epidemiology/microbiology/transmission

A novel coronavirus that emerged in late 2019 rapidly spread around the world. Most severe cases need endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation, and some mild cases may need emergent surgery under general anesthesia. The novel coronavirus was reported to transmit via droplets, contact and natural aerosols from human to human. Therefore, aerosol-producing procedures such as endotracheal intubation and airway suction may put the healthcare providers at high risk of nosocomial infection. Based on recently published articles, this review provides detailed feasible recommendations for primary anesthesiologists on infection prevention in operating room during COVID-19 outbreak.
Anesthesiologists ; standards ; Betacoronavirus ; Coronavirus Infections ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; methods ; standards ; Operating Rooms ; methods ; standards ; Pandemics ; prevention & control ; Pneumonia, Viral ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of weather conditions and occupational hygiene on SARS outbreak.

METHOD(1) Meteorological parameters around SARS outbreaks in 2003 in 9 cities (Guangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Taiyuan, Hong Kong, Taipei, Singapore, Toronto and Hanoi) were analyzed; (2) Causes of hospital infection were also analyzed from an occupational hygiene point of view.

RESULTS(1) The amplitude of air temperature, air pressure and diurnal temperature difference were greater around SARS outbreaks in most of the cities. Higher airborne particles concentration and lower wind speed were measured prior to SARS outbreaks in the cities with the most serious epidemic situation. The ten-day mean value of air temperature before SARS outbreaks in 9 cities was 16.6 degrees C +/- 7.6 degrees C, suggesting that coronary virus infection, which has been considered to cause SARS by now, may be most active at 9 degrees C - 24 degrees C. (2) Occupational hygiene in hospital proved to be an important socio-behavior factor for SARS outbreak. All hospital infection could be attributed to defects in the key links of occupational hygiene.

CONCLUSIONSGreater fluctuations of air temperature and higher airborne particles concentration in winter and spring, as well as poor occupational hygiene conditions are significant promoters of SARS outbreak. Warning of atmospheric conditions favorable to SARS, and improvement in occupational hygiene management is the key to prevention from SARS outbreak.

Attitude to Health ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross Infection ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Meteorological Concepts ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo understand the risk factors on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among their contacts and to develop effective strategy for its control.

METHODSAvailable epidemiological data of SARS cases and close contacts were reviewed and analyzed by SPSS.

RESULTSOut of the 2195 close contacts, 138 (6.3%) were diagnosed as SARS. Among colleagues and classmates of SARS patients, the infection rate was 0.36% versus 31.71% in contacts among families and hospitals, 0.77% in schools. No one was infected among 459 close contacts to SARS in the working unit.

CONCLUSIONSAmong close contacts, factors that facilitating transmission would include: time, extent, frequency and place of contact to the patients, as well as factors related to close contacts as way, time of isolation and age. One of the epidemiological characteristics was that SARS were as clustered in the family among those close contacts. It is important to control the spread of SARS through supervision on the close contacts to patients.

Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Isolation ; Quarantine ; statistics & numerical data ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; prevention & control ; transmission

OBJECTIVETo analyze the epidemiologic characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and to evaluate the effectiveness on its major control measures in Tianjn.

METHODSAdopting two case reports 1 and 2, designed by the Tianjin Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a unified case-tracing table including the map of the distribution of close contacts to SARS patients. With those methods, investigation on patients and their close contacts at hospital wards, families, communities and institutions of the patients were carried out.

RESULTSFrom April 13 through May 8, 2003, there were 175 SARS cases including imported ones, were identified with an incidence rate of 1.9 cases per 100,000. Among them, 14 died with a fatality of 8.0%. The whole process of epidemic in Tianjin was less than one month with the following features: (1) 93.7% of the total SARS cases in Tianjin were directly or indirectly transmitted by a super-spreader. (2) 68.6% of the total SARS patients were concentrated in 3 hospitals A, B and C which was menifastated in 'clustering'. Through study on the rest of the SARS patients, results showed that 16.8% of them were transmitted through family close contact and 2.3% due to contact to colleagues. However, 12.6% of the patients were not able to show evidence that they had any contact to a diagnosed SARS patient. At the early stage of the epidemic, a number of medical practitioners were infected, taking up 38.2% of the total SARS cases. Among the total number of 1 975 medical workers who participated in the SARS medical cares and treatments, 3.4% of them got infected. During the outbreak, all index cases and chains of transmission seemed to be clear, with only 3 patients not able to be traced for the source of infection, taking up 2% of the total SARS patients in Tianjin. Among the 10 index cases, only the super spreader and another one index case transmitted the virus to their contacts but the rest of index cases did not cause any secondary infection.

CONCLUSIONThough SARS is clinically severe and can be spreaded quickly, the epidemic can be under control within a short period of time if chains of SARS transmission are broken down and effective measures as isolation and quarantine against patients as well as underscoring awareness among the publics in a scientific way, being carried out.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Disease Outbreaks ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; mortality ; transmission ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo study the factors in relation to severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) among health care workers and to develop related protective measures.

METHODSCase-control study was applied. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect SARS related information for health care workers who had contacted or treated SARS patients. Univariate analysis was conducted using SPSS 10.0 software package and multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted using SAS 6.12.

RESULTSTwenty-seven of the 49 factors under study were significantly associated with SARS infection, in which 22 factors were protective, and the other 5 were risk factors. 27 factors were included for multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results showed that six factors as wearing eye glasses, wearing protection gowns, exposure to secrets/mode of contact with SARS patients, types of mask and the working years atc, remained significant association with hospital infection of SARS.

CONCLUSIONSARS infection in heath care workers was related to many factors during the process of diagnoses and/or treatment. It is recommended that adequate masks, eye-protection and protective gowns should be adopted for heath care workers during the process of clinical diagnoses and treatment of SARS patients.

Case-Control Studies ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross Infection ; prevention & control ; Female ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional ; prevention & control ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo analyze epidemiological features of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Haidian district, Beijing.

METHODSEach SARS case was interviewed by trained investigator using standardized questionnaire followed a descriptive analysis.

RESULTSFour hundred and three SARS cases were identified and 27 of them died from March 18 and May 31, 2003. The incidence rate of SARS was 18.0/100,000 with case fatality rate as 6.7% in Haidian district, Beijing. Seventy-four percent of patients were adults with higher risk in age group of 20 - 29 year. SARS patients were scattered around in 32 out of 33 streets and villages in this district. The disease appeared to be sporadic but the case of outbreaks in family or university only seen in three streets. The course of SARS epidemic in this district could be divided into three phases: initial-which last for days, peak-21 days and then rapid decline-for 26 days. Number of patients having had a history of close contact to other SARS were gradually decreasing along with the process of the epidemics (trend chi(2) = 8.800, P = 0.003). Seventy-two point seven percent of the SARS cases had been exposed to the injection in the hospital settings. When the epidemics came to a rapid decline, 85.7% of the patients diagnosed during that period could be traced down to have had the history of contacting SARS cases within their own families. The distribution of occupation was also showed significantly different in the three respective stages (chi(2) = 36.41, P < 0.01). Among the patients who could not be identified as having confirmed contact history, 26.6% having had outward activities and 47.6% of them visited hospitals, especially during the peak stage.

CONCLUSIONThe intensity of SARS epidemic among the residents of Haidian district was recognized as similar to the other parts of Beijing. Nosocomial infection in hospital settings was most important cause responsible for the transmission of SARS in this district.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Contact Tracing ; Cross Infection ; transmission ; Family Health ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology ; mortality ; transmission ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was an unknown disease barely 3 years ago. After the World Health Organization declared the world SARS-free on 5 July 2003, there were episodic recurrences of SARS between September 2003 and May 2004, including 4 cases of laboratory-acquired SARS. SARS posed a mammoth challenge because of the impact of nosocomial transmission on healthcare manpower and facilities, and the resources needed for controlling and preventing further spread. Through worldwide scientific collaboration, the medical community has made much progress in unraveling its enigma, though much more needs to be discovered. This paper highlights how we can apply our knowledge of its epidemiology, mode of transmission, clinical course, ICU admission, complications, predictors of poor outcome, treatment and infection control to help us avert a catastrophic outbreak, and to manage our resources and patients. SARS preparedness and response planning must be flexible and dynamic so that appropriate measures can be implemented as an outbreak progresses. Even if SARS does not reemerge, the experience gained from such planning is valuable in preparing for threats of bioterrorism or a global avian influenza A (H5N1) virus pandemic.
Cross Infection ; prevention & control ; Disease Outbreaks ; prevention & control ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; prevention & control ; Global Health ; Humans ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relation between the epidemiological strains of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and the strains isolated from the nasal fossa of the medical staff and inpatients.

METHODSThe MRSA strains were isolated from the nasal fossa of the medical staff and inpatients in the Department of Neurosurgery. The genes of the isolated strains were amplified by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay.

RESULTSThree and 12 MRSA strains were isolated from the nasal fossa of the medical staff and patients who were hospitalized for more than 1 week, respectively, and RAPD assay revealed high homology between the isolated strains.

CONCLUSIONCross infection can be present between the medical staff, inpatients, and the infected patients.

China ; epidemiology ; Cross Infection ; microbiology ; DNA, Bacterial ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Professional-to-Patient ; Inpatients ; Medical Staff ; Methicillin Resistance ; Nasal Cavity ; microbiology ; Phylogeny ; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique ; Staphylococcal Infections ; epidemiology ; microbiology ; Staphylococcus aureus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification