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.
%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
}