Evidence-based tool for triggering school closures during influenza outbreaks, Japan.
Guidelines available to school administrators to support school closure decisions during influenza outbreaks are usually not evidence-based. Using empirical data on absentee rates of elementary school students in Japan, we developed a simple and practical algorithm for determining the optimal timing of school closures for control of influenza outbreaks.
Sasaki
Asami
A
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. asammy@unii.ac.jp
Hoen
Anne Gatewood
AG
Ozonoff
Al
A
Suzuki
Hiroshi
H
Tanabe
Naohito
N
Seki
Nao
N
Saito
Reiko
R
Brownstein
John S
JS
D000041:Absenteeism; D000465:Algorithms; D002648:Child; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control; D055317:Evidence-Based Practice / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students