ABSTRACT
Background: Rotavirus vaccines were introduced in Japan in November 2011. We evaluated the subsequent reduction of the health-care burden of rotavirus gastroenteritis. Methods: We conducted active surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis among children under 5 years old before and after the vaccine introduction. We surveyed hospitalization rates for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Japan, from 2007 to 2015 and surveyed the number of outpatient visits at a Tsu City clinic from 2010 to 2015. Stool samples were obtained for rotavirus testing and genotype investigation. We assessed rotavirus vaccine coverage for infants living in Tsu City. Results: In the pre-vaccine years (2007-2011), hospitalization rates for rotavirus gastroenteritis in children under 5 years old were 5.5, 4.3, 3.1 and 3.9 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively. In the post-vaccine years (2011-2015), the rates were 3.0, 3.5, 0.8 and 0.6 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively. The hospitalization rate decreased significantly in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons compared to the average of the seasons before vaccine introduction (p < 0.0001). In one pre-vaccine year (2010-2011), the number of outpatient visits due to the rotavirus infection was 66. In the post-vaccine years (2011-2015), the numbers for each season was 23, 23, 7 and 5, respectively. The most dominant rotavirus genotype shifted from G3P[8] to G1P[8] and to G2P[4]. The coverage of one dose of rotavirus vaccine in Tsu City was 56.5% in 2014. Conclusion: After the vaccine introduction, the hospitalization rates and outpatient visits for rotavirus gastroenteritis greatly decreased.
ABSTRACT
<b>Objective: </b>Similarity of drug names is one factor of dispensing incidents. The aim of this study was to survey the relation between sensual similarities of drug names and the occurrence of taking errors for pharmacists who actually prepare medicine.<br><b>Methods: </b>A pair of drugs (15 incident pairs and 104 control pairs) was displayed on a computer screen at random. The subject’s task was to determine the sensual similarity of them. Thirteen pharmacists who prepared these pairs and caused their incidents participated in the experiment.<br><b>Results: </b>The result showed that the sensual similarity of drug names of incident pairs was found to be highly significant in comparison to one of the control pairs [<i>p</i>=0.026]. However, the similarity in incident pairs is not necessarily high. It was suggested that the similarity of drug name was not the only factor of taking error. Multiple linear regression analyses of the sensual similarity in control pairs were performed, in which 10 variables were reported as quantitative indicators of similarity of drug name and were able to be measured on the internet. The correlation was good [<i>R</i><sup>2</sup>=0.828]. However, this regression model was not useful when adjusting to incident pairs. In incident pairs, the similarity value calculated by the regression model was lower than the measured sensual similarity.<br><b>Conclusion: </b>The result suggested that measured sensual similarity includes other risk factors of taking error, such as appearance similarity and/or efficacy similarity and/or short distance arrangement. It seemed that the pharmacist’s ability complicated the factor of taking error.