title: Risk factors for SARS infection within hospitals in Hanoi, Vietnam.
abstract: We investigated a nosocomial infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Vietnam in 2003 and attempted to identify risk factors for SARS infection. Of the 146 subjects who came into contact with SARS patients at Hospital A, 43 (29.5%) developed SARS, and an additional 16 (11%) were asymptomatic but SARS-coronavirus (CoV) seropositive. The asymptomatic infection rate accounted for 15.5% of the total number of infected patients at Hospital A, which was higher than that of 6.5% observed at Hospital B, to where all patients from Hospital A were eventually transported (P<0.05). At Hospital A, the risk for developing SARS was 12.6 times higher in individuals not using a mask than in those using a mask. The SARS epidemic in Vietnam resulted in numerous secondary infections due to its unknown etiology and delayed recognition at the beginning of the epidemic. The consistent and proper use of a mask was shown to be crucial for constant protection against infection with SARS.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute, International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan. crea_ayako@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wakasugi
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kirikae
authors.forename: Tran
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quy
authors.forename: Le Dang
authors.initials: le D
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Vo Van
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Ban
authors.forename: Hoang Thuy
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Keicho
authors.forename: Takehiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasazuki
authors.forename: Tadatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuratsuji
mesh_terms: D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods; D017758:Infectious Disease Transmission, Patient-to-Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008397:Masks / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D011482:Protective Devices / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D045473:Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus; D045169:Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission* / Q000821:virology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014744:Vietnam