title: [Study on the risk factors related to severe acute respiratory syndrome among close contactors in Beijing].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the risk factors on severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) among their contacts and to develop effective strategy for its control.
  
  
  METHODS
  Available epidemiological data of SARS cases and close contacts were reviewed and analyzed by SPSS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of the 2195 close contacts, 138 (6.3%) were diagnosed as SARS. Among colleagues and classmates of SARS patients, the infection rate was 0.36% versus 31.71% in contacts among families and hospitals, 0.77% in schools. No one was infected among 459 close contacts to SARS in the working unit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among close contacts, factors that facilitating transmission would include: time, extent, frequency and place of contact to the patients, as well as factors related to close contacts as way, time of isolation and age. One of the epidemiological characteristics was that SARS were as clustered in the family among those close contacts. It is important to control the spread of SARS through supervision on the close contacts to patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Research Program Management, Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Beijing 100013, China.
authors.forename: Xing-Huo
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Dong-Lei
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiao-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.forename: Fu-Jie
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Ze-Jun
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xu-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin-Ran
authors.initials: XR
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Ling-Yan
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Gui-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016358:Contact Tracing; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000635:transmission; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010356:Patient Isolation; D011790:Quarantine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*