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. 2020 Aug 4;222(5):832-835.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa179.

Effects of School Holidays on Seasonal Influenza in South Korea, 2014-2016

Sukhyun Ryu  1   2 , Sheikh Taslim Ali  2 , Benjamin J Cowling  2 , Eric H Y Lau  2
Affiliations

Effects of School Holidays on Seasonal Influenza in South Korea, 2014-2016

Sukhyun Ryu et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

School closures are considered as a potential nonpharmaceutical intervention to mitigate severe influenza epidemics and pandemics. In this study, we assessed the effects of scheduled school closure on influenza transmission using influenza surveillance data before, during, and after spring breaks in South Korea, 2014-2016. During the spring breaks, influenza transmission was reduced by 27%-39%, while the overall reduction in transmissibility was estimated to be 6%-23%, with greater effects observed among school-aged children.

Keywords: influenza; public health; school closures.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Influenza activity and estimated effective reproductive number (Rt) in South Korea, 2014–2016. Black solid lines indicate influenza activity measured by multiplying influenza-like illness consultation rate with influenza virus detection rate from the Korean national surveillance database. Shaded gray bars represent the period of spring school breaks and Lunar New Year (light gray bars). Gray solid lines indicate daily estimated Rt and gray dashed lines indicate pointwise 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of Rt; gray horizontal lines indicate transmission threshold (Rt = 1).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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