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Social contact patterns of infants in deciding vaccination strategy: a prospective, cross-sectional, single-centre
M M Oguz1, A D Camurdan2, F N Aksakal3
1Department of Pediatrics,Dr Sami Ulus Maternity and Children's Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital,Ankara,Turkey.
Insights
Infant social contact patterns influence respiratory infection risk. Vaccinating mothers and school-age siblings, and avoiding crowded places, can protect babies from illnesses like whooping cough and influenza.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Respiratory tract infections are common in infants due to their developing immune systems and high social contact rates.
- Infants are particularly vulnerable to serious complications from infections like whooping cough and influenza.
- Understanding infant social networks is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the social contact patterns of infants under 12 months of age.
- To identify factors associated with respiratory symptoms in infants.
- To inform public health interventions for infant respiratory infection prevention.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study involving 1006 healthy infants (<12 months).
- Social contact diaries were used to record daily interactions over one week.
- Data on respiratory symptoms and attendance at crowded places were collected.
Main Results:
- The median daily contact rate was 4 per infant, with 50.3% having non-household contacts.
- Mothers had the most frequent and longest contacts with infants.
- Contact with school-aged children, frequenting crowded places, and infant age were linked to increased respiratory symptoms.
Conclusions:
- Vaccinating mothers and school-aged siblings is recommended to reduce infant exposure.
- Parents should limit infant exposure to crowded environments.
- Targeting social contacts is key to preventing infant respiratory infections.
Abstract:
Social contact between individuals is believed to be a fundamental cause in the transmission of many respiratory tract infections. Because they have not yet been fully vaccinated, infants are at high risk for contracting whooping cough, influenza and their serious complications. Therefore, determining infant social contact patterns is an important step in protecting them from respiratory tract infection. This study included 1200 healthy infants (<12 months of age). Social contact diaries were used to estimate the frequency and nature of the infants' social contacts. This survey also gathered information regarding the infants' respiratory symptoms and their frequency of attendance at crowded places over a period of 1 week. The diary return rate was 83.8% (N = 1006), and there was a total of 4706 contacts reported for these infants. The median daily contact number per capita was 4 (range 1-18). The median number of contacts with adolescents was 0 (range 0-7). Of the infants, 50.3% had contact with non-household individuals. The mothers had the longest contacts with their babies. Contacts with school children, frequency of attendance at crowded places and age were determined to be significant effective factors for reporting respiratory symptoms. Results suggest that school-age siblings and the mothers should be primarily vaccinated, and parents should keep their babies away from crowded places for protecting their infants.
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