Abstract
BackgroundThe spread of infectious diseases from person to person is determined by the frequency and nature of contacts between infected and susceptible members of the population. Although there is a long history of using mathematical models to understand these transmission dynamics, there are still remarkably little empirical data on contact behaviors with which to parameterize these models. Even starker is the almost complete absence of data from developing countries. We sought to address this knowledge gap by conducting a household based social contact diary in rural Vietnam.Methods and FindingsA diary based survey of social contact patterns was conducted in a household-structured community cohort in North Vietnam in 2007. We used generalized estimating equations to model the number of contacts while taking into account the household sampling design, and used weighting to balance the household size and age distribution towards the Vietnamese population. We recorded 6675 contacts from 865 participants in 264 different households and found that mixing patterns were assortative by age but were more homogenous than observed in a recent European study. We also observed that physical contacts were more concentrated in the home setting in Vietnam than in Europe but the overall level of physical contact was lower. A model of individual versus household vaccination strategies revealed no difference between strategies in the impact on R 0.Conclusions and SignificanceThis work is the first to estimate contact patterns relevant to the spread of infections transmitted from person to person by non-sexual routes in a developing country setting. The results show interesting similarities and differences from European data and demonstrate the importance of context specific data.
Highlights
Mathematical models of infectious disease transmission have become indispensible tools for understanding epidemic processes and for providing policy makers with an evidence base for decisions when empirical data is limited
This work is the first to estimate contact patterns relevant to the spread of infections transmitted from person to person by non-sexual routes in a developing country setting
The results show interesting similarities and differences from European data and demonstrate the importance of context specific data
Summary
Mathematical models of infectious disease transmission have become indispensible tools for understanding epidemic processes and for providing policy makers with an evidence base for decisions when empirical data is limited. A key parameter in infectious disease models is the probability of contact between an infectious source and a susceptible individual. The extent to which individuals preferentially mix with people of the same age (assortativeness) is a key heterogeneity that is routinely included in models and attempts have been made to further represent the underlying structure of contact patterns by partitioning the population into household and workplace compartments [3,4,5]. The spread of infectious diseases from person to person is determined by the frequency and nature of contacts between infected and susceptible members of the population.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
