Transmission of Influenza Virus in the Home: How Are They Transmitted in the Home?

Abstract

Household transmission plays a significant role in the spread of influenza epidemics. Understanding of the viral transmission patterns in households is important for effective infection prevention measures. An investigation in the 2010/2011–2015/2016 seasons showed that household transmission of influenza A occurred in 18.5% of households, with a secondary infection rate of 8.0%. The present investigation assessed secondary infection rates by generation/age of household members (i.e., fathers, mothers, and offspring aged 0–6, 7–12, 13–18, and 19+ years). When the index case was an infant, the secondary infection rates were as high as 15.1% among infants and 18.2% among mothers, and infants were more infectious to overall household contacts (secondary infection rate, 12.4%) than were any other generations. For influenza B, the household secondary infection rate was lower than that for influenza A, and the number of secondary cases peaked 2 days later than that for influenza A.