dengue infection in children in ratchaburi, thailand a cohort study. i. epidemiology of symptomatic acute dengue infection in children, 2006–2009登革热感染儿童叻武里,泰国一个队列研究。.pdfVIP

Dengue Infection in Children in Ratchaburi, Thailand: A Cohort Study. I. Epidemiology of Symptomatic Acute Dengue Infection in Children, 2006–2009 1 1 1 1 Arunee Sabchareon *, Chukiat Sirivichayakul , Kriengsak Limkittikul , Pornthep Chanthavanich , 2 3 3 1 Saravudh Suvannadabba , Vithaya Jiwariyavej , Wut Dulyachai , Krisana Pengsaa , Harold S. Margolis4¤a, G. William Letson4¤b 1 Department of Tropical Pediatrics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, 2 Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand, 3 Ratchaburi Hospital, Ministry of Public Health, Ratchaburi, Thailand, 4 Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea Abstract Background: There is an urgent need to field test dengue vaccines to determine their role in the control of the disease. Our aims were to study dengue epidemiology and prepare the site for a dengue vaccine efficacy trial. Methods and Findings: We performed a prospective cohort study of children in primary schools in central Thailand from 2006 through 2009. We assessed the epidemiology of dengue by active fever surveillance for acute febrile illness as detected by school absenteeism and telephone contact of parents, and dengue diagnostic testing. Dengue accounted for 394 (6.74%) of the 5,842 febrile cases identified in 2882, 3104, 2717 and 2312 student person-years over the four years, respectively. Dengue incidence was 1.77% in 2006, 3.58% in 2007, 5.74% in 2008 and 3.29% in 2009. Mean dengue incidence over the 4 years was 3.6%. Dengue virus (DENV) types were determined in 333 (84.5%) of positive specimen