Studies of the Community and Family: Acute Respiratory Illness and Infection

Abstract

Studies of acute respiratory illnesses in families and their communities have been carried out for most of this century. The initial studies established the importance of these illnesses in terms of their frequency and severity. Age-specific illness rates and principles concerning disease transmission were documented in the period before identification of the etiologic agents. Since that time, the knowledge base has been expanded dramatically. Of all the viruses, rhinoviruses cause more illness of any severity than any other in all age groups. As a result, rates of rhinovirus-specific illnesses resemble those of all-cause respiratory illnesses. The greatest advantage of community-based studies is their ability to study transmission. Since control of infection for most of the agents has been difficult to achieve by conventional means, interruption of transmission should be examined as a possible alternative (97).

Intranasal Immune Challenge Induces Sex-Dependent Depressive-Like Behavior and Cytokine Expression in the Brain

“…LPS immune challenge indicates that upper respiratory infections may be one factor related to the increased incidence of mood disorders during certain times of the year (Nelson et al, 2002). On average, children have between six and eight, and adults between two and four, upper respiratory infections each year (Monto, 1994;Monto and Ullman, 1974). Despite their usually benign course, upper respiratory infections place an enormous economic burden on society; they are responsible for 20 million days absence from work and 22 million days of absence from school in the USA (Adams et al, 1999).…”

Risk factors of influenza transmission in households

“…1 Several follow-up studies of families during one or several consecutive influenza seasons have described the occurrence and spread of infection in households in relation to age, family composition, crowding, circulating viral strains, exposure in the community, and prior immunity. 2 The current thinking regarding influenza transmission is that children play a major role in the early stages of the epidemic, with the assumption that they are more susceptible than older age groups, and that they contribute more extensively to the spreading of the virus in the population. 3 Furthermore, children spend a great deal of time in communities where daily contact with other people is extensive; for example, in schools, play groups, and daycare centres, and it is assumed that close contact favours transmission.…”

Influenza A Virus Shedding and Infectivity in Households

“…Household transmission studies provide an ideal natural setting to explore this relation, because a substantial fraction of transmission occurs in this setting [12][13][14], lending generalizability, and because it is feasible to measure exposed household contacts intensively for the period that the index case patient may be infectious. In the current study, analyzing large prospective studies of influenza A virus transmission in Hong Kong households conducted in influenza seasons from 2008 to 2012 [3,15], we examined the relationship between viral shedding and infectivity.…”