The changing epidemiology of varicella and herpes zoster in Hong Kong before universal varicella vaccination in 2014
Epidemiology and Infection·
- DOI
- 10.1017/s0950268818000444
- PMID
- 29526171
- PMCID
- PMC6533643
- OpenAlex
- W2791734283
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The paper provides pre-universal-vaccination baseline context for varicella and zoster in Hong Kong. It may help readers understand age-specific disease patterns relevant to vaccination policy discussions.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The article asks how varicella and herpes zoster patterns changed in Hong Kong before universal varicella vaccination began in 2014. It also examines pre-program vaccine uptake and age patterns in infection using several data sources.
Study design
This is a pre-universal-vaccination epidemiologic analysis using notification data, emergency department attendance, inpatient admissions, preschool vaccination surveys, and serologic modelling. The abstract also describes a catalytic model applied to antibody data.
Population and setting
The setting is Hong Kong, China. The data include preschool children for vaccination coverage surveys and broader age groups captured in varicella and zoster surveillance, emergency, hospital, and serology data from 1999/00 to 2013/14 or 2004/05 to 2013/14.
Main findings
Private-market varicella vaccination coverage rose gradually to about 50% before the universal program started. In children under 5, varicella notifications, varicella admissions, and zoster emergency attendance generally fell, while rates for varicella and zoster generally rose among people aged 10 to 59 years. Serology suggested a shift toward infections occurring at slightly older ages, most clearly before vaccine licensure.
Public-health relevance
The paper provides pre-universal-vaccination baseline context for varicella and zoster in Hong Kong. It may help readers understand age-specific disease patterns relevant to vaccination policy discussions.
Important limitations
The abstract does not support attributing the observed age shift to private-market vaccine coverage alone. Interpretation is also limited to the supplied single-article abstract and metadata, so the original paper is needed for decision-grade assessment.
GIDS interpretation
This article is discoverable as a peer-reviewed epidemiology study on varicella and zoster in Hong Kong before universal vaccination, using surveillance and serology data. It offers background context for later interpretation but does not by itself establish a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 14 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.