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- Title
School closure may be effective in reducing transmission of respiratory viruses in the community.
- Authors
Heymann, A. D.; Hoch, I.; Valinsky, L.; Kokia, E.; Steinberg, D. M.
- Abstract
Proposed measures to contain pandemic influenza include school closure, although the effectiveness of this has not been investigated. We examined the effect of a nationwide elementary school strike in Israel in 2000 on the incidence of influenza-like illness. In this historical observational study of 1·7 million members of a preferred provider organization, we analysed diagnoses from primary-care visits during the winter months in 1998-2002. We calculated the weekly ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses, and fitted regression models for school-aged children, children's household members, and all other individuals aged >12 years. For each population the steepest drop in the ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses occurred in the strike year 2 weeks after the start of the strike. The changes in the weekly ratio of influenza-like diagnoses to non-respiratory diagnoses were statistically significant (P=0·0074) for school children for the strike year compared to other years. A smaller decrease was also seen for the adults with no school-aged children in 1999 (P=0·037). The Chanukah holiday had a negative impact on the ratio for school-aged children in 1998, 1999 and 2001 (P=0·008, 0·006 and 0·045, respectively) and was statistically significant for both adult groups in 1999 and for adults with no school-aged children in 2001. School closure should be considered part of the containment strategy in an influenza pandemic.
- Subjects
ISRAEL; PANDEMICS; INFLUENZA; COMMUNICABLE diseases; RESPIRATORY infections; PUBLIC health
- Publication
Epidemiology & Infection, 2009, Vol 137, Issue 10, p1369
- ISSN
0950-2688
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1017/S0950268809002556