The Epidemiology of Interpandemic and Pandemic Influenza in Vietnam, 2007–2010
American Journal of Epidemiology·
- DOI
- 10.1093/aje/kws121
- PMID
- 22411862
- PMCID
- PMC3353138
- OpenAlex
- W2104725412
- Study type
- Cohort study
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The observed heterogeneity in age-specific infection risk by subtype and season may affect the potential impact of school-based interventions such as school closure and childhood vaccination programs on influenza transmission in tropical regions like Vietnam.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined the epidemiology of influenza infection across interpandemic and pandemic periods in a tropical setting, addressing infection risk by age, sex, season, and viral subtype.
Study design
Prospective household-based cohort study with active influenza surveillance and intermittent seroprevalence surveys conducted in Vietnam from December 2007 to April 2010, yielding 1,793 person-seasons of observation.
Population and setting
Community-dwelling households in Vietnam, with primary analysis focused on individuals aged 5 years and older.
Main findings
Age- and sex-standardized seasonal influenza infection risk in persons 5 years and older ranged from 17.0% to 26.4% across three surveillance seasons. The highest infection risk (41.8% per season) occurred in children aged 5-9 years. Multiple infections with different viral types or subtypes within a single season were documented in 27 individuals, and reinfection with the same subtype across seasons occurred in 22 individuals. Age-specific infection risk varied by viral subtype and season.
Public-health relevance
The observed heterogeneity in age-specific infection risk by subtype and season may affect the potential impact of school-based interventions such as school closure and childhood vaccination programs on influenza transmission in tropical regions like Vietnam.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Complete assessment of study limitations, including sampling methods, loss to follow-up, case ascertainment sensitivity, generalizability beyond the study site, and potential confounding requires review of the full published article.
GIDS interpretation
This cohort study provides baseline epidemiologic data on influenza transmission patterns in a tropical community setting. The classifier links identify the article as relevant to influenza surveillance, transmission dynamics, vaccination strategy, and climate-related disease patterns in Vietnam. Such prospective cohort data may inform disease modeling and intervention planning but should not be interpreted as reflecting current or emerging outbreak activity.
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.