title: Positive rates of 2009 novel influenza A (H1N1) was high in school-aged individuals: significance in pandemic control.
abstract: In this study, data from a pandemic H1N1 outbreak in Korea were analyzed according to time, geography (districts), and age. A total of 252,271 samples collected nationwide were referred to the Greencross Reference Laboratory from June 2009 to February 2010 for H1N1 confirmation testing. Of these samples, 105,300 (41.7%) were H1N1-positive. With time, positivity was highest (57.0%) from October 26 - November 1 (4 weeks after Chuseok). The positive rates among districts show the highest value in Ulsan City (63.1%) and the lowest in Gyeongnam Province (32.8%). The positive rates for ages 0-2, 3-5, 6-11, 12-17, 18-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, and > 60 yr were 17.0%, 33.1%, 56.2%, 55.5%, 55.3%, 41.5%, 28.2%, 30.5%, 31.1%, and 16.8%, respectively, indirectly indicating propagation of H1N1 through schools. Pandemic control should involve school-targeted strategies.
authors.affiliation: Greencross Reference Laboratory, Yongin, Korea. seonghomed@hanmail.net
authors.forename: Seong-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hyun Mi
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Eun Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058873:Pandemics / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D013334:Students; D055815:Young Adult