Paying attention to the epidemic of group A Streptococcus infections in multiple European and American countries / 中国当代儿科杂志

At the end of 2022, the World Health Organization reported an increase in group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections, such as scarlet fever, in multiple countries. The outbreak primarily affected children under 10 years old, and the number of deaths was higher than anticipated, causing international concern. This paper reviews the current state of the GAS disease outbreak, its causes, and response measures. The authors aim to draw attention from clinical workers in China and increase their awareness and vigilance regarding this epidemic. Healthcare workers should be aware of the potential epidemiological changes in infectious diseases that may arise after the optimization of control measures for coronavirus disease 2019 to ensure children's health.

Spatial clustering analysis of scarlet fever incidence in China from 2016 to 2020 / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the incidence trend and spatial clustering characteristics of scarlet fever in China from 2016 to 2020 to provide evidence for development of regional disease prevention and control strategies.@*METHODS@#The incidence data of scarlet fever in 31 provinces and municipalities in mainland China from 2016 to 2020 were obtained from the Chinese Health Statistics Yearbook and the Public Health Science Data Center led by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.The three-dimensional spatial trend map of scarlet fever incidence in China was drawn using ArcGIS to determine the regional trend of scarlet fever incidence.GeoDa spatial autocorrelation analysis was used to explore the spatial aggregation of scarlet fever in China in recent years.@*RESULTS@#From 2016 to 2020, a total of 310 816 cases of scarlet fever were reported in 31 provinces, municipalities directly under the central government and autonomous regions, with an average annual incidence of 4.48/100 000.The reported incidence decreased from 4.32/100 000 in 2016 to 1.18/100 000 in 2020(Z=103.47, P < 0.001).The incidence of scarlet fever in China showed an obvious regional clustering from 2016 to 2019(Moran's I>0, P < 0.05), but was randomly distributed in 2020(Moran's I>0, P=0.16).The incidence of scarlet fever showed a U-shaped distribution in eastern and western regions of China, and increased gradually from the southern to northern regions.Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hebei and Gansu provinces had the High-high (H-H) clusters of scarlet fever in China.@*CONCLUSION@#Scarlet fever still has a high incidence in China with an obvious spatial clustering.For the northern regions of China with H-H clusters of scarlet fever, the allocation of health resources and public health education dynamics should be strengthened, and local scarlet fever prevention and control policies should be made to contain the hotspots of scarlet fever.

Analysis of the epidemiological characteristics of scarlet fever in Yantai City, Shandong Province from 2015 to 2019 / 中华预防医学杂志

From 2015 to 2019, the annual average incidence rate of scarlet fever was 7.80/100 000 in Yantai City, which showed an increasing trend since 2017 (χ2trend=233.59, P<0.001). The peak period of this disease was from April to July and November to January of the next year. The ratio of male to female was 1.49∶1, with a higher prevalence among cases aged 3 to 9 years (2 357/2 552, 92.36%). Children in kindergartens, primary and middle school students, and scattered children were the high risk population, with the incidence rate of 159.86/100 000, 25.57/100 000 and 26.77/100 000, respectively. The global spatial auto-correlation analysis showed that the global Moran's I index of the reported incidence rate of scarlet fever in Yantai from 2015 to 2019 was 0.28, 0.29, 0.44, 0.48, and 0.22, respectively (all P values<0.05), suggesting that the incidence rate of scarlet fever in Yantai from 2015 to 2019 was spatial clustering. The local spatial auto-correlation analysis showed that the "high-high" clustering areas were mainly located in Laizhou City, Zhifu District, Haiyang City, Fushan District and Kaifa District, while the "low-high" clustering areas were mainly located in Haiyang City and Fushan District.

Análisis no-lineal de la dinámica de enfermedades infecciosas en Chile / Non linear analysis of the infectious disease dynamics in Chile

Background: The incidence of infectious diseases generally has large fluctuations, probably due to interactions between seasonal fluctuations and those secondary to case-susceptible host interactions. Aim: To analyze the complexity and attractant topological resemblance of seven infectious diseases in Chile. Material and methods: The annual incidence of measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever, meningococcal meningitis, diphtheria, typhoid fever and poliomyelitis was obtained from the annual reports of diseases. Correlation dimensions and the largest Lyapunov series exponents were estimated. The resemblance among their attractants was assessed by Hausdorff distance. The measures were performed both before and after seasonal filtering. Results: All series showed a dynamics near low dimensional chaos. The correlation dimensions ranged between 2.12 and 2.76. The correlation dimensions did not change after seasonal differentiation. Apart from one, all disease dynamics had large Lyapunov exponents, near 0.6 Bits/year. These decreased if series were differentiated. Before differentiation, the topological resemblance was mainly caused by the seasonal component of the dynamics but thereafter, the resemblance increased. In spite of different transmission mechanisms and etiologies, all analyzed infectious diseases conformed a truly single group, during cluster analyses. Conclusions: These results suggest that beneath the dynamics of infectious diseases, obscured by seasonal environmental factors, lays a very consistent nonlinear agent-susceptible host dynamics

Patrones estacionales de enfermedades infecciosas: similitud y distancias / Seasonal patterns of infectious diseases

Material and methods: Series of monthly cases of measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever; meningitis, diphteria, typhoid fever and poliomyelitis were obtained from yearly reports of infectious disease of the Ministry of Health. Descriptive statistical parameters and multivariate methods were used to analyze data. Results: Diseases that have an enteric mode of transmission predominate in summer; independent of the type of agent (viral or bacterial) or presence of carriers. Diseases with a respiratory mode of transmission have two different patterns. Those without carriers (measles and whooping cough) predominate in spring and those with carriers (scarlet fever, diphtheria and meningitis) have a winter predominace. Conclusions: This work confirms the seasonal variation of enteric and respiratory infectious diseases and defines patterns that can be useful for future studies

Reporte de un brote de escarlatina / Report on a scarlet fever outbreak

Se conoció de la ocurrencia de casos sospechosos de escarlatina en un centro laboral, motivo por el cual se creó un equipo multidisciplinario para realizar el estudio y control correspondiente. Se realizó una encuesta a los trabajadores y se tomaron muestras de exudado faríngeo y de sangre para el título de antiestreptolisina O (TASO) en algunos casos. De 207 trabajadores encuestados, 129 (62,3 por ciento ) refirieron haber estado enfermos con un proceso respiratorio agudo inicial y de ellos, 41 (31,8 por ciento ) manifestaron síntomas cutáneos compatibles con escarlatina. Se aislaron 9 cepas de estreptococo betahemplítico del grupo A y 34 enfermos presentaron títulos de antiestreptolisina O elevada. La aparición de una cepa de estrptococo, al parecer de gran efectividad y toxigenicidad, en uan población adulta susceptible en condiciones laborales favorables a la transmisión respiratoria dio origen al brote

Dinámica epidemiológica de la escarlatina en Chile / Epidemiological dynamics of scarlet fever in Chile

Basados en la información contenida en los Anuarios de Enfermedades de Notificación Obligatoria se analizaron las fluctuaciones en la incidencia mensual de la escarlatina en Chile mediante análisis de series de tiempo. Se detectan fluctuaciones periódicas de la incidencia que involucran un ciclo corto estacional bimodal y un ciclo largo, secular, de aproximadamente 5 años. La fluctuación estacional se atribuye a la interacción agente-huésped-ambiente, destacando la importancia del mecanismo de transmisión aérea y del contacto persona a persona, los que en conjunto explicarían la bimodalidad. La fluctuación secular se debería a la variación asincrónica de los casos y susceptibles