IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 662: Spatiotemporal Epidemiology of Varicella in Chongqing, China, 2014 –2018

IJERPH, Vol. 17, Pages 662: Spatiotemporal Epidemiology of Varicella in Chongqing, China, 2014–2018 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph17020662 Authors: Hua Zhu Han Zhao Rong Ou Qing Zeng Ling Hu Hongfang Qiu Manoj Sharma Mengliang Ye Although immunization against varicella using vaccines has been proven to be significant and effective in the past decades, varicella remains a major public health concern for many developing countries. Varicella vaccination has not been introduced into routine immunization programs in China, and varicella outbreaks have continued to occur. Taking the city of Chongqing, which has a high prevalence of varicella, as an example, this study explored the spatiotemporal epidemiology of varicella. Based on the reported data of varicella cases from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 in Chongqing, hot spots and space-time clusters of varicella were identified using spatial autocorrelation analysis and scan statistics. Within this period, a total of 112,273 varicella cases were reported in Chongqing (average annual incidence: 73.44 per 100,000), including one death. The incidence of varicella showed an increasing trend with significant seasonal peaks, which occurred during April to July and October to January of the following year. The total ratio of male to female patients affected was 1.10:1. Children under the age of 15 and students accounted for the majority of the patient popul...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research