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. 2022 Jan;260(1):173-180.
doi: 10.1007/s00417-021-05344-4. Epub 2021 Aug 18.

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: efficacy of outbreak management

Cristina Martin  1 , Ursula Löw  2 , Adrien Quintin  2 , Gesine Schießl  2 , Barbara Gärtner  3 , Albert Heim  4 , Berthold Seitz  2
Affiliations

Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis: efficacy of outbreak management

Cristina Martin et al. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Purpose: Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) is one of the most severe ocular viral infections. The aim of this interruptive time series study was to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of a hygienic EKC outbreak management concept developed in our ophthalmological department.

Methods: All patients with suspected EKC in the period from August to November 2018 were included in the study. Data were retrospectively collected from the patient's medical documents and records. The disease was diagnosed clinically and confirmed by virus detection through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from conjunctival swabs. With the beginning of the epidemic, an outbreak management plan was implemented to reduce the nosocomial spread.

Results: The outbreak lasted 77 days (20th August 2018 to 4th November 2018) and affected a total of 120 patients. This corresponds to a mean of 1.5 patients per outbreak day. The median age was 58 [1-92] years. Of all patients, 61 (50.8%) were female. Conjunctival swabs were collected in 100/120 (83.3%) cases, the adenovirus being detected in all positive smears (63/63, 100%). The implementation of our outbreak management plan reduced significantly the number of EKC cases per outbreak day and resulted in a reduction of the basic reproduction number by a factor of 2.2.

Conclusion: The detection of EKC together with the immediate implementation of hygienic outbreak measures can significantly reduce the spread of infection. The implementation of a strict outbreak management concept can significantly reduce the number of EKC cases, thus avoiding possible complications and therefore unnecessary health-related costs.

Keywords: Basic reproduction number; EKC outbreak; Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis; Hygienic management concept.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Outbreak management in patients with suspected EKC in the Department of Ophthalmology, Saarland University Medical Center
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Cumulative number of suspected EKC infection cases in our department in the period from 20th August 2018 to 4th November 2018
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Epidemic curve of outbreak of EKC in Homburg/Saar, Germany, in the period from 20th August 2018 to 4th November 2018
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Epidemic curves of EKC outbreak according to infection source
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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