Effect of climatic factors and population density on varicella zoster virus epidemiology within a tropical country.

Blood samples were collected from healthy subjects, aged 9 months-29 years in urban and rural communities from 4 distinct regions in Thailand, to determine the seroprevalence rate of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antibody and its relationship with demographic, climatic, and socioeconomic factors. The overall seroprevalence rate was 52.8% and increased from 15.

Seroepidemiology of hepatitis A virus antibody in primary school children in Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand.

Hepatitis A is a disease commonly found in Thai children. Since 1984, there have been very few reports on the age specific prevalence of hepatitis A virus infection in the northeastern part of Thailand, which has the largest population and is the poorest area of the country. We studied the seroprevalence of hepatitis A virus (HAV) antibody in 3 primary school children in different areas of Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand.