Investigation of Scarlet Fever Outbreak in a Kindergarten
Infection and Chemotherapy
;
: 38-42, 2018.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-722008
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Scarlet fever is caused by a group A streptococcal (GAS) infection. On April 3, 2017, an outbreak among children in a kindergarten was reported to the local health department. An epidemiologic investigation was conducted to identify the possible transmission route of this outbreak and to recommend appropriate control measures. MATERIALS ANDMETHODS:
A retrospective cohort study was conducted using questionnaires including age, sex, the classroom attended at a kindergarten, and date and type of symptoms developed. A case-patient is defined as a child having sore throat, fever, skin rash, or strawberry tongue with or without laboratory confirmation of GAS infection between March 28 and April 28, 2017.RESULTS:
The index case-patients developed symptoms on March 28, 2017, and this outbreak persisted over a period of 16 days. The outbreak affected 21 out of 158 children (13.3%) in the kindergarten, with the mean age of 4.2 (range 3–5) years; 12 (57.1%) of them were boys. The common symptoms reported were fever (71.4%), sore throat (71.4%), reddened tonsil (57.1%), and skin rash (52.4%). The epidemiologic analysis showed that children attending one of the classrooms in the kindergarten were 14.12 times affected than the other classrooms (relative risk, 14.12; 95% confidence interval, 4.99–33.93; P 24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotic treatment, and all the children in the kindergarten were instructed to keep strict personal hygiene practices.CONCLUSION:
Our results suggest that the outbreak likely affected from the index case-patients who attended to one of the classrooms in the kindergarten. This highlights the importance of immediate notification of outbreak to prevent large number of patients.
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Scarlet Fever
/
Tongue
/
Palatine Tonsil
/
Pharyngitis
/
Hygiene
/
Retrospective Studies
/
Cohort Studies
/
Fragaria
/
Exanthema
/
Fever
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Incidence study
/
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Infection and Chemotherapy
Year:
2018
Type:
Article
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