Details:

Alternative Title:
Pediatr Infect Dis J
Publisher's site:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/INF.0b013e3182218656
Personal Author:
Stebbins, Samuel ; Cummings, Derek A. T. ; Stark, James H. ; Vukotich, Chuck ; Mitruka, Kiren ; ... More +
Stebbins, Samuel ; Cummings, Derek A. T. ; Stark, James H. ; Vukotich, Chuck ; Mitruka, Kiren ; Thompson, William ; Rinaldo, Charles ; Roth, Loren ; Wagner, Michael ; Wisniewski, Stephen R. ; Dato, Virginia ; Eng, Heather ; Burke, Donald S. Less -
Description:
Background

Laboratory-based evidence is lacking regarding the efficacy of non-pharmaceutical interventions such as alcohol-based hand sanitizer and respiratory hygiene to reduce the spread of influenza.

Methods

The Pittsburgh Influenza Prevention Project was a cluster-randomized trial conducted in ten Pittsburgh, PA elementary schools during the 2007-2008 influenza season. Children in five intervention schools received training in hand and respiratory hygiene, and were provided and encouraged to use hand sanitizer regularly. Children in five schools acted as controls. Children with influenza-like illness were tested for influenza A and B by RT-PCR.

Results

3360 children participated. Using RT-PCR, 54 cases of influenza A and 50 cases of influenza B were detected. We found no significant effect of the intervention on the primary study outcome of all laboratory confirmed influenza cases (IRR 0.81 95% CI 0.54, 1.23). However, we did find statistically significant differences in protocol-specified ancillary outcomes. Children in intervention schools had significantly fewer laboratory-confirmed influenza A infections than children in control schools, with an adjusted IRR of 0.48 (95% CI 0.26, 0.87). Total absent episodes were also significantly lower among the intervention group than among the control group; adjusted IRR 0.74 (95% CI 0.56, 0.97).

Conclusions

Non-pharmaceutical interventions (respiratory hygiene education and the regular use of hand sanitizer) did not reduce total laboratory confirmed influenza. However the interventions did reduce school total absence episodes by 26% and laboratory-confirmed influenza A infections by 52%. Our results suggest that NPIs can be an important adjunct to influenza vaccination programs to reduce the number of influenza A infections among children.


Subject:
[+]
Absence Surveillance
Absenteeism
Adolescent
Case-Control Studies
Child
Child, Preschool
Cough
Female
Hand Disinfection
Humans
Hygiene
Incidence
Influenza, Human
Influenza A Virus
Influenza B Virus
Laboratory Testing
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Viral
Schools
Students

Source:
Pediatr Infect Dis J. 30(11):921-926.
Pubmed ID:
21691245
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC3470868
Document Type:
Journal Article
Funding:
UL1 TR000005/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 GM070708/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; 1U01-GM070708/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; 5UCI000435-02/PHS HHS/United States ; U01 CI000435/CI/NCPDCID CDC HHS/United States
UL1 TR000005/TR/NCATS NIH HHS/United States ; U01 GM070708/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; 1U01-GM070708/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/United States ; 5UCI000435-02/PHS HHS/United States ; U01 CI000435/CI/NCPDCID CDC HHS/United States Less -
Place as Subject:
United States
Collection(s):
CDC Public Access
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:ad198b6f11bbc86f1d9a389bf913cc0c4902a6916fb5a4b061fcd5ab2061d849
File Type:

Supporting Files

• 	NIHMS300146-supplement-2.docx	docx
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  	NIHMS300146-supplement-1.docx	docx

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