Dengue outbreak investigations in a high-income urban setting, Kaohsiung City in Taiwan, 2003-2009

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dengue outbreak investigations in a high-income urban setting, Kaohsiung City in Taiwan, 2003-2009

AU - Lin, Chia-Hsien

AU - Schiøler, Karin Linda

AU - Jepsen, Martin Rudbeck

AU - Ho, Chi-Kung

AU - Li, Shu-Hua

AU - Konradsen, Flemming

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Kaohsiung City, a modern metropolis of 1.5 million persons, has been the focus of dengue virus activity in Taiwan for several decades. The aim of this study was to provide a temporal and spatial description of dengue virus epidemiology in Kaohsiung City by using data for all laboratory-confirmed dengue cases during 2003-2009. We investigated age- and sex-dependent incidence rates and the spatiotemporal patterns of all cases confirmed through passive or active surveillance. Elderly persons were at particularly high risk for dengue virus-related sickness and death. Of all confirmed cases, ˜75% were detected through passive surveillance activities; case-patients detected through active surveillance included immediate family members, neighbors, and colleagues of confirmed case-patients. Changing patterns of case clustering could be due to the effect of unmeasured environmental and demographic factors.

AB - Kaohsiung City, a modern metropolis of 1.5 million persons, has been the focus of dengue virus activity in Taiwan for several decades. The aim of this study was to provide a temporal and spatial description of dengue virus epidemiology in Kaohsiung City by using data for all laboratory-confirmed dengue cases during 2003-2009. We investigated age- and sex-dependent incidence rates and the spatiotemporal patterns of all cases confirmed through passive or active surveillance. Elderly persons were at particularly high risk for dengue virus-related sickness and death. Of all confirmed cases, ˜75% were detected through passive surveillance activities; case-patients detected through active surveillance included immediate family members, neighbors, and colleagues of confirmed case-patients. Changing patterns of case clustering could be due to the effect of unmeasured environmental and demographic factors.

U2 - 10.3201/eid1810.111929

DO - 10.3201/eid1810.111929

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 23017369

SN - 1080-6040

VL - 18

SP - 1603

EP - 1611

JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases (Print Edition)

JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases (Print Edition)

IS - 10

ER -