Associations of hand-washing frequency with incidence of acute respiratory tract infection and influenza-like illness in adults: a population-based study in Sweden

Merk, Hanna; Kühlmann-Berenzon, Sharon; Linde, Annika; Nyrén, Olof

doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-509

Cited by 22 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…This might be due to the fact that self-reported handwashing practice is from a simple cleansing to the appropriate level of recommended duration and method of handwashing. However, the lack of association in the current study is in line with a population-based study in Sweden [59]. In the current study children of mothers who have reported a lack of information about handwashing were more likely to be at higher risk of ARI.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Acute respiratory infection and its associated factors among children under-five years attending pediatrics ward at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study

Andualem

Taddese

2020

BMC Pediatr

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Background: Acute respiratory infection is manifested by cough accompanied by short rapid breathing which may be associated with death especially when there are other co-morbidities. From an estimated 5.4 million children under -five years that died in 2017-roughly half of those deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa and acute respiratory infection contributed to the highest number of deaths. The current study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of, and risk factors associated with, acute respiratory infection hospitalization in under-five years children hospitalized at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. Method: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from May 01/2019 to July 10/2019. After the selection of participants using simple random sampling, face to face interview was performed using a semistructured pre-tested questionnaire. Data were also extracted from medical registration charts. We used EPI Info 7 for data entry and exported into SPSS 21 for analysis. Results were presented by simple frequency, percentage and mean for descriptive variables. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to test the association of covariates and outcome variable. Variables with a p < 0.2 during the bivariable binary logistic regression analysis were included in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Variables with p < 0.05 were considered as significantly associated with acute respiratory infection. This study is reported following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. (Continued on next page)Results: Four hundred and twenty-two under-five years' children attending the Pediatrics ward were included in this study. The prevalence of acute respiratory infection among under-five years' children in this study was 27.3%. Children aged below 12 months (AOR:3.39, 95% CI: 1. 19, 9.65), maternal age of 16 to 27 years (AOR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.03, 3.70), maternal age of 28 to 33 years (AOR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.40, 5.34), lack of maternal awareness of handwashing (AOR: 2.79, 95% CI: 1.15, 6.76), rural residence (AOR:2.27, 95% CI: 1.18, 4.39), and lack of meningitis (AOR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.55), were significantly associated with acute respiratory infection. Conclusion: Acute respiratory infection was common among children under-five years. Child and maternal age, residence and maternal hand hygiene information were significant factors identified to be associated with an acute respiratory infection.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Acute respiratory infection and its associated factors among children under-five years attending pediatrics ward at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study

Andualem

Taddese

2020

BMC Pediatr

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“…Therefore, we assume that in an airport population of N individuals, only the

70 % \cdot 67 % = 49.6 %

of N are compliers with effective hand washing. Furthermore, we assume that each individual washes his/her hands on average between 4 and 10 times per day (Merk, Kühlmann‐Berenzon, Linde, & Nyrén, ), which means that in a 24‐hour time frame, one event of hand washing takes place every 2.5–6 hours. We assume that the frequency of hand washing follows a normal distribution with mean equal to 4.5 hours and standard deviation equal to 1 hour.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hand‐Hygiene Mitigation Strategies Against Global Disease Spreading through the Air Transportation Network

et al. 2019

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The risk for a global transmission of flu-type viruses is strengthened by the physical contact between humans and accelerated through individual mobility patterns. The Air Transportation System plays a critical role in such transmissions because it is responsible for fast and long-range human travel, while its building components-the airports-are crowded, confined areas with usually poor hygiene. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) consider hand hygiene as the most efficient and cost-effective way to limit disease propagation. Results from clinical studies reveal the effect of hand washing on individual transmissibility of infectious diseases. However, its potential as a mitigation strategy against the global risk for a pandemic has not been fully explored. Here, we use epidemiological modeling and data-driven simulations to elucidate the role of individual engagement with hand hygiene inside airports in conjunction with human travel on the global spread of epidemics. We find that, by increasing travelers engagement with hand hygiene at all airports, a potential pandemic can be inhibited by 24% to 69%. In addition, we identify 10 airports at the core of a cost-optimal deployment of the hand-washing mitigation strategy. Increasing hand-washing rate at only those 10 influential locations, the risk of a pandemic could potentially drop by up to 37%. Our results provide evidence for the effectiveness of hand hygiene in airports on the global spread of infections that could shape the way public-health policy is implemented with respect to the overall objective of mitigating potential population health crises.

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“…Therefore, we assume that in an airport population of N individuals only the 70% · 67% = 49.6% of N are compliers with effective hand washing. Furthermore, we assume that each individual wash their hands on average between 4-10 times per day 41 which means that in a 24-hour timeframe one event of hand washing takes place every 2.5-6 hours. We assume that the frequency of hand washing follows a normal distribution with mean equal to 4.5 hours and standard deviation equal to 1 hour.…”

Section: Status Quo Of Hand Washing Engagement Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Hand-hygiene mitigation strategies against global disease spreading through the air transportation network

Nicolaides

Avraam

Cueto‐Felgueroso

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Hand hygiene is considered as an efficient and cost-effective way to limit the spread of diseases and, as such, it is recommended by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the effect of hand washing on individual transmissibility of a disease has been studied through medical and public-health research, its potential as a mitigation strategy against a global pandemic has not been fully explored yet. In this study, we investigate contagion dynamics through the world air transportation network and analyze the impact of hand-hygiene behavioural changes of airport population against the spread of infectious diseases worldwide. Using a granular dataset of the world air transportation traffic, we build a detailed individual mobility model that controls for the correlated and recurrent nature of human travel and the waiting-time distributions of individuals at different locations. We perform a Monte-Carlo simulation study to assess the impact of different hand-washing mitigation strategies at the early stages of a global epidemic. From the simulation results we find that increasing the hand cleanliness homogeneously at all airports in the world can inhibit the impact of a potential pandemic by 24 to 69%. By quantifying and ranking the contribution of the different airports to the mitigation of an epidemic outbreak, we identify ten key airports at the core of a cost-optimal deployment of the hand-washing strategy: increasing the engagement rate at those locations alone could potentially reduce a world pandemic by 8 to 37%. This research provides evidence of the effectiveness of hand hygiene in airports on the global spread of infectious diseases, and has important implications for the way public-health policymakers may design new effective strategies to enhance hand hygiene in airports through behavioral changes.All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder. . https://doi.org/10.1101/530618 doi: bioRxiv preprint continents 5, 6 . The H1N1 flu, which caused around 300,000 deaths worldwide 7 , had a similar timeline. The first confirmed case of H1N1 was reported in Veracruz, Mexico on April 2009, while within few days the infection migrated to the US and Europe, and two months later the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the disease as a global pandemic.Bacteria, pathogens and viruses are also transmitted easily at airports or during flights, causing infections and bacterial diseases that can expand to global epidemics. The pathogens are transmitted through the air 8 , resulting in the contagion of airborne diseases, or through physical contact between individuals. The transmission is accelerated when a dense population of people is concentrated in a confined area 9 like an airport, with lack of good hygiene and efficient air ventilation. After an outbreak, infections diffuse while infected individ...

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Associations of hand-washing frequency with incidence of acute respiratory tract infection and influenza-like illness in adults: a population-based study in Sweden

Cited by 22 publications

References 23 publications

Acute respiratory infection and its associated factors among children under-five years attending pediatrics ward at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study

Acute respiratory infection and its associated factors among children under-five years attending pediatrics ward at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: institution-based cross-sectional study

Hand‐Hygiene Mitigation Strategies Against Global Disease Spreading through the Air Transportation Network

Hand-hygiene mitigation strategies against global disease spreading through the air transportation network

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