ABSTRACT
Since 2015 when the transmission of schistosomiasis was controlled in China, the country has been moving towards elimination of schistosomiasis, with the surveillance-response as the main interventions for schistosomiasis control. During the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the transmission of schistosomiasis had been interrupted in four provinces of Sichuan, Jiangsu, Yunnan and Hubei and the prevalence of schistosomiasis has been at the historically lowest level in China. As a consequence, the goal set in The 13th Five-Year National Schistosomiasis Control Program in China is almost achieved. However, there are multiple challenges during the stage moving towards elimination of schistosomiasis in China, including the widespread distribution of intermediate host snails and complicated snail habitats, many types of sources of Schistosoma japonicum infections and difficulty in management of bovines and sheep, unmet requirements for the current schistosomiasis control program with the currently available tools, and vulnerable control achievements. During the 14th Five-Year period, it is crucial to consolidate the schistosomiasis control achievements and gradually solve the above difficulties, and critical to provide the basis for achieving the ultimate goal of elimination of schistosomiasis in China. Based on the past experiences from the national schistosomiasis control program and the challenges for schistosomiasis elimination in China, an expert consensus has been reached pertaining to the objectives, control strategy and measures for The 14th Five-Year National Schistosomiasis Control Program in China, so as to provide insights in to the development of The 14th Five-Year National Schistosomiasis Control Program in China.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To estimate the effect of influenza-like illness (ILI) on outpatient visits and assess its impact on public health.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We analyzed the data of weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits in Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Emergency at two influenza surveillance hospitals during a period of 137 weeks in Guangzhou. Spectral analysis and time-series analysis were performed to evaluate the variation of outpatient visits over time. The predictive model was fitted with weekly outpatient visits as the dependent variable and weekly number of ILI as the independent variable. The optimal model was established according to the coefficient of determination, Akaike-information criterion and residual analysis. The validity of the model was assessed prospectively using the 31-week data that were not used for the model establishment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The outpatient visits increased significantly over time and showed significant seasonality (P<0.001). A significant correlation was found between the weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits (r=0.568, P<0.001). The residuals of the fitted autoregression model were white-noise series and the coefficient of determination was 75% for the data used to establish the model and 56% for the subsequent 31-week data.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The autoregression model can be used to estimate the effect of weekly number of outpatient visits based on the weekly number of ILI and thus assess the effects of influenza on public health.</p>
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , China , Epidemiology , Emergency Service, Hospital , Influenza, Human , Epidemiology , Logistic Models , Outpatient Clinics, Hospital , OutpatientsABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the epidemiological features of the index cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) occurred in different cities in Guangdong province and to trace for the source of infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Standardized individual case inventory was adopted to conduct investigation on index cases and on persons who had close contact with index cases in Guangdong province. Data on the epidemiological characteristics, secondary cases and the links among index cases were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Between November 16, 2002 and April 16, 2003, there had been 13 index cases of SARS including 3 cadres, 3 farmers, 2 retirees, 2 workers and 1 shop attendant, reported from 13 cities in Guangdong province. Between November 2002 and January 2003, there had been 7 cities reported to have identified index cases of SARS with 6 of them being infected in their own cities and 1 imported from Guangzhou city. All of the cases had no close contacts to similar patients but 6 of them later caused 2nd or even 3rd generation cases of SARS. Most cases hit young people (7/13) with a sex ratio of 1:0.6. The fatality rate of index cases was high (4/13).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>No evidence showed that there was direct transmission among the index cases. Data regarding the geographical origin of those index cases led to the assumption that the infection had started in six cities of Pearl river delta region and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.</p>