An Outbreak Influenza A/H1N1 (2009) in a Legion Recruit Training Military Camp, Roi Et Province, Thailand, April - May 2014

Abstract

On 6 May 2014 Office of Disease Prevention and Control 7 Ubon Ratchathani was informed by the Bureau of Epidemiology about an influenza outbreak in barracks at Roi Et province. The Surveillance and Rapid Response Teams started investigation and control the outbreak during 7 - 8 May 2014. The case definition of suspected influenza was a legion recruit in a military camp at Roi Et and had a fever and cough or sore throat during 25 April - 8 May 2557. And confirmed cases was a suspected who had RT-PCR positive for influenza virus. The retrospective cohort study was done to determine the risk factors and preventive measures for disease control. Overall we found 61 suspected cases out of 215 (attack rate 28.37%). The first two cases onset were on 25 April 2014. They were new army. The first case symptom developed fever, cough and sore throat. He didn’t seek medical treatment. Another had a fever and sore throat and he went to see the doctor at a hospital. There was a confirmed cases who had onset on 28 April 2014 was probably spreading to other cases who developed symptom during 1 – 2 May 2014. The exposure period was between 30 April and 3 May 2014. The soldiers always shared the glass for drinking and made a rapid spreading in the camp. Most of the cases had onset date 5 May 2014. The laboratory results confirmed influenza A/H1N1 (2009) in 21 cases out of 22 cases. The independent risk factor was sharing drinking water glass with others (ORadj = 1.5, 95% CI 1.1 - 2.2) and not washing hands (ORadj = 3.6, 95% CI 1.1 - 11.7). To promote to have a personal glass by name labeling was done particularly for a new comer. And direct taking a water from a jar with personal glass was also prohibit. Provided mask and health education about hand washing and isolation of patients were taken. After control implementation, the outbreak was decline and no new case or recurrent outbreak.