%0 Journal Article %1 peltola_shift_1982 %A Peltola, H %A Kataja, J M %A Mäkelä, P H %D 1982 %J Lancet %K Adolescent, Adult, Age Bacterial Child, Climate, Disease Factors, Humans, Infant, Infections, Meningococcal Neisseria Outbreaks, Preschool, Prognosis Vaccines, meningitidis, %N 8298 %P 595--7 %R 6125738 %T Shift in the age-distribution of meningococcal disease as predictor of an epidemic? %U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6125738 %V 2 %X Demographic data for several years before, during, and after an epidemic of meningococcal meningitis show that the age-distribution of the disease shifts considerably during an epidemic--although the highest incidence of meningococcal infections was still that among children under 5 years old, the proportion of patients aged greater than 4 years increased significantly. The ratio of the number of cases aged over 4 years to that aged up to 4 years was 0.833 and 0.775 in two non-epidemic periods, but 2.95 and 2.29 in two epidemic years. Careful demographic surveillance may reveal the approach of a meningococcal epidemic sooner than do the present surveillance methods.

@article{peltola_shift_1982, abstract = {Demographic data for several years before, during, and after an epidemic of meningococcal meningitis show that the age-distribution of the disease shifts considerably during an epidemic--although the highest incidence of meningococcal infections was still that among children under 5 years old, the proportion of patients aged greater than 4 years increased significantly. The ratio of the number of cases aged over 4 years to that aged up to 4 years was 0.833 and 0.775 in two non-epidemic periods, but 2.95 and 2.29 in two epidemic years. Careful demographic surveillance may reveal the approach of a meningococcal epidemic sooner than do the present surveillance methods.}, added-at = {2011-03-11T10:05:34.000+0100}, author = {Peltola, H and Kataja, J M and Mäkelä, P H}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2501f5db72abbc6eba2e048be637cf0e7/jelias}, doi = {6125738}, interhash = {9f8ab8c02c58d655fdc485df3365a7b1}, intrahash = {501f5db72abbc6eba2e048be637cf0e7}, issn = {0140-6736}, journal = {Lancet}, keywords = {Adolescent, Adult, Age Bacterial Child, Climate, Disease Factors, Humans, Infant, Infections, Meningococcal Neisseria Outbreaks, Preschool, Prognosis Vaccines, meningitidis,}, month = sep, note = {{PMID:} 6125738}, number = 8298, pages = {595--7}, timestamp = {2011-03-11T10:06:23.000+0100}, title = {Shift in the age-distribution of meningococcal disease as predictor of an epidemic?}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6125738}, volume = 2, year = 1982 }