Influenza B virus outbreak at a religious residential school for boys in Northern Bangladesh, 2011

• DOI: 10.1111/irv.12430
• Publication Date: 2016-09-07T18:05:27Z
• Authors: Farhana Haque; Katharine Sturm‐R...; Nusrat Homaira; Emily Suzane Gurley; Md Jahangir Hossain; S. M. Murshid Hasan; Sukanta Chowdhury; Shamim Sarkar; Abdul Khaleque Md...; Mustafizur Rahman; Mahmudur Rahman; Stephen P. Luby
• Keywords: Male; Epidemiology; Economics; Immunology; FOS: Health sciences; Pediatrics; Disease Outbreaks; Overcrowding; Throat; 03 medical and health sciences; Short Article; Context (archaeology); Engineering; 0302 clinical medicine; Attack rate; Virology; Influenza, Human; Health Sciences; Epidemiology and Pathogenesis of Respiratory Viral Infections; Humans; Epidemics; Students; Economic growth; Bangladesh; Sore throat; Schools; Geography; FOS: Clinical medicine; Ebola Virus Research and Outbreaks; Outbreak; Transmission (telecommunications); 3. Good health; Hospitalization; Religion; Influenza B virus; Infectious Diseases; Archaeology; Electrical engineering; Medicine; Surgery; Host Immune Response; Influenza Virus Research and Epidemiology

BackgroundNational media reported a febrile illness among dormitory residents of a boys' religious school. We investigated the outbreak to identify cause.MethodsIndividuals with fever (>100°F) and cough or sore throat between 1 and 13 August 2011 were influenza‐like‐illness (ILI) case‐patients. We collected histories and specimens from hospitalized case‐patients and visited campus to explore environmental context.ResultsAll 28 case‐patients were dormitory residents including 27 hospitalizations. Accommodation space per resident was <0.8 square metres. Nasal and oropharyngeal swabs from 22 case‐patients were positive for influenza B virus using real‐time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT‐PCR).ConclusionsOvercrowding likely facilitated transmission leading to this dormitory outbreak.