Evaluation of the impact of the state of emergency during the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood immunizations in Benguela Province, Angola.

Background: The impact of public health measures against the coronavirus disease 2019 on the rate of childhood immunization has not yet been fully defined. Particularly, measures which directly affect health-seeking behaviors (e.g.

Geographic factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 prevalence during the first wave - 6 districts in Zambia, July 2020.

Background: Geographical factors can affect infectious disease transmission, including SARS-CoV-2, a virus that is spread through respiratory secretions. Prioritization of surveillance and response activities during a pandemic can be informed by a pathogen's geographical transmission patterns. We assessed the relationship between geographical factors and SARS-CoV-2 prevalence in Zambia.

Observational study on the characteristics of COVID-19 transmission dynamics during the first wave of the epidemic in Lusaka, Zambia.

Introduction: coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission dynamics in the communities of low- and middle-income countries, particularly sub-Saharan African countries, are still not fully understood. This study aimed to determine the characteristics of COVID-19 secondary transmission during the first wave of the epidemic (March-October 2020) in Lusaka, Zambia.

Methods: we conducted an observational study on COVID-19 secondary transmission among residents in Lusaka City, between March 18 and October 30, 2020.

Spatial factors for COVID-19 associated community deaths in an urban area of Lusaka, Zambia: an observational study.

We retrospectively analyzed spatial factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-associated community deaths i.e., brought-in-dead (BID) in Lusaka, Zambia, between March and July 2020.

Transmission of COVID-19 in Nightlife, Household, and Health Care Settings in Tokyo, Japan, in 2020.

Importance: There have been few studies on the heterogeneous interconnection of COVID-19 outbreaks occurring in different social settings using robust, surveillance epidemiological data.

Objectives: To describe the characteristics of COVID-19 transmission within different social settings and to evaluate settings associated with onward transmission to other settings.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This is a case series study of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases in Tokyo between January 23 and December 5, 2020, when vaccination was not yet implemented.

Japanese encephalitis virus genotype III from mosquitoes in Tarlac, Philippines.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) in a rice-farming community in the Philippines and to determine its implications regarding the epidemiology of viral encephalitides in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Methods: Mosquitoes were collected monthly from animal-baited traps close to flooded rice fields in two barangays (villages) in the Municipality of San Jose, Tarlac Province in Luzon, from May 2009 to July 2010. Virus was detected by nested reverse transcription PCR.

Secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the first two waves in Japan: Demographic characteristics and overdispersion.

Objectives: Super-spreading events caused by overdispersed secondary transmission are crucial in the transmission of COVID-19. However, the exact level of overdispersion, demographics, and other factors associated with secondary transmission remain elusive. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the frequency and patterns of secondary transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Japan.

Roles of Children and Adolescents in COVID-19 Transmission in the Community: A Retrospective Analysis of Nationwide Data in Japan.

Roles of children and adolescents in spreading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the community is not fully understood. We analyzed the data of 7,758 children and adolescents with COVID-19 and characteristics of secondary transmission generated by these cases using case information published by local governments. Ratio of pediatric and adolescent cases generating secondary transmission was calculated for various social settings.

Familial Clusters of Coronavirus Disease in 10 Prefectures, Japan, February-May 2020.

The overall coronavirus disease secondary attack rate (SAR) in family members was 19.0% in 10 prefectures of Japan during February 22-May 31, 2020. The SAR was lower for primary cases diagnosed early, within 2 days after symptom onset.

Clusters of Coronavirus Disease in Communities, Japan, January-April 2020.

We analyzed 3,184 cases of coronavirus disease in Japan and identified 61 case-clusters in healthcare and other care facilities, restaurants and bars, workplaces, and music events. We also identified 22 probable primary case-patients for the clusters; most were 20-39 years of age and presymptomatic or asymptomatic at virus transmission.

Allele frequencies of Bordetella pertussis virulence-associated genes identified from pediatric patients with severe respiratory infections.

Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis) infection occasionally causes severe respiratory infections in children. Potential association between virulence-associated gene alleles and severe clinical outcomes has been suggested; however, frequencies of these alleles in pediatric patients with severe pertussis have not been clarified.

Receptor-Binding Assays of Enterovirus D68.

Human enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) is a causative agent for acute respiratory infections and potentially central nervous system illnesses with increasing epidemiological significance. Recent studies have highlighted the role of sialic acids as a functional receptor for EV-D68 in vitro. However, further investigations are required to reveal its significance in actual infections in human.

Association Between Preceding Viral Respiratory Infection and Subsequent Respiratory Illnesses Among Children: A Prospective Cohort Study in the Philippines.

Background: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is of great concern in public health. It remains unclear whether viral infections can affect the host's susceptibility to subsequent ARIs.

Methods: A prospective cohort study on ARIs of children below 5 years old was conducted in the Philippines from 2014 to 2016.

Molecular Characterization of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus in the Philippines, 2012-2013.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) is a major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children worldwide. We performed molecular analysis of HRSV among infants and children with clinical diagnosis of severe pneumonia in four study sites in the Philippines, including Biliran, Leyte, Palawan, and Metro Manila from June 2012 to July 2013. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected and screened for HRSV using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Molecular epidemiology of enterovirus D68 from 2013 to 2014 in Philippines.

Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been recognized as an important cause of acute respiratory infections. Here we report the molecular epidemiology of EV-D68 in Philippines from 2013 to 2014; we found cases in areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan and found new strains in the country.

Global reemergence of enterovirus D68 as an important pathogen for acute respiratory infections.

We previously detected enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) in children with severe acute respiratory infections in the Philippines in 2008-2009. Since then, the detection frequency of EV-D68 has increased in different parts of the world, and EV-D68 is now recognized as a reemerging pathogen. However, the epidemiological profile and clinical significance of EV-D68 is yet to be defined, and the virological characteristics of EV-D68 are not fully understood.

Antigenic and receptor binding properties of enterovirus 68.

Unlabelled: Increased detection of enterovirus 68 (EV68) among patients with acute respiratory infections has been reported from different parts of the world in the late 2000s since its first detection in pediatric patients with lower-respiratory-tract infections in 1962. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms for this trend are still unknown. We therefore aimed to study the antigenicity and receptor binding properties of EV68 detected in recent years in comparison to the prototype strain of EV68, the Fermon strain.

Detection of enterovirus 68 in serum from pediatric patients with pneumonia and their clinical outcomes.

Enterovirus 68 (EV68) infection occasionally manifests with fatal outcomes. However, detection of EV68 in serum and its clinical outcomes are yet to be determined. In this study, we retrospectively tested stored serum samples collected from pediatric pneumonia patients whose nasopharyngeal specimens were positive for EV68.

Molecular evolution of enterovirus 68 detected in the Philippines.

Background: Detection of Enterovirus 68 (EV68) has recently been increased. However, underlying evolutionary mechanism of this increasing trend is not fully understood.

Methods: Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from 5,240 patients with acute respiratory infections in the Philippines from June 2009 to December 2011.

Acute respiratory infections due to enterovirus 68 in Yamagata, Japan between 2005 and 2010.

To clarify the epidemiology of enterovirus 68 (EV68), which is one of the most rarely identified enteroviruses, virus isolation and molecular screening using RT-PCR was performed on 6307 respiratory specimens collected at pediatric clinics in Yamagata, Japan between 2005 and 2010. In the years 2005-2009, 10, 1, 2, 0, and 2 (40) EV68-positive cases, respectively, were identified by RT-PCR. In 2010, 40 cases were identified altogether: 2 by isolation only, 26 by RT-PCR only, and 12 by both isolation and RT-PCR.