Volume 10, Number 9—September 2004
Dispatch
SARS-CoV Antibody Prevalence in All Hong Kong Patient Contacts
Gabriel M. Leung*, Pui-Hong Chung†, Thomas Tsang†, Wilina Lim†, Steve K.K. Chan*, Patsy Chau*, Christl A. Donnelly‡, Azra C. Ghani‡, Christophe Fraser‡, Steven Riley‡, Neil M. Ferguson‡, Roy M. Anderson‡, Yuk-lung Law†, Tina Mok†, Tonny Ng†, Alex Fu†, Pak-Yin Leung†, J.S. Malik Peiris*, Tai-Hing Lam*, and Anthony J. Hedley*
Table
Characteristics of close contacts recalled for serologic testing (N = 1,776)
| Characteristic | Tested for IgG against SARS-CoV, n = 1,068 (%) | Declined antibody testing, n = 708 (%) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (y) | < 0.001 | ||
| <10 | 53 (5.0) | 126 (18.1) | |
| 11–17 | 77 (7.2) | 68 (9.7) | |
| 18–44 | 515 (48.3) | 278 (39.8) | |
| 45–64 | 330 (30.9) | 138 (19.8) | |
| >65 | 92 (8.6) | 88 (12.6) | |
| Sex | 0.02 | ||
| Female | 579 (54.2) | 341 (48.3) | |
| Male | 489 (45.8) | 365 (51.7) | |
| Travel history to SARS-affected areas since February, 2003a | < 0.001 | ||
| Yes | 523 (49.0) | 268 (37.9) | |
| No | 545 (51.0) | 440 (62.1) | |
| Relationship with SARS case | 0.001 | ||
| Household family member | 789 (74.4) | 499 (70.5) | |
| Non-household family member or relative | 230 (21.7) | 164 (23.2) | |
| Friend/classmate/colleague | 25 (2.4) | 12 (1.7) | |
| Other (e.g., domestic helper) | 16 (1.5) | 33 (4.7) | |
| Frequency of contact with SARS patient within 10 days of hospital admission | 0.06 | ||
| Daily | 666 (62.6) | 405 (57.9) | |
| 4–6 days per week | 82 (7.7) | 56 (8.0) | |
| 1–3 days per week | 161 (15.1) | 103 (14.7) | |
| Very occasionally | 155 (14.6) | 135 (19.3) | |
| No. of precautions adopted during SARS outbreakb | 0.25 | ||
| <2 | 60 (6.6) | 47 (8.6) | |
| 3–4 | 113 (12.4) | 81 (14.8) | |
| 5–6 | 334 (36.7) | 187 (34.1) | |
| 7–8 | 402 (44.2) | 234 (42.6) | |
| No. of febrile or respiratory illness episodes since February 2003 | 0.02 | ||
| 0 | 643 (61.7) | 471 (68.4) | |
| 1–2 | 351 (33.7) | 193 (28.0) | |
| >3 | 48 (4.6) | 25 (3.6) | |
| Presence of chronic medical conditions | 0.10 | ||
| Yes | 270 (28.3) | 149 (24.6) | |
| No | 683 (71.7) | 457 (75.4) | |
| Self-perceived health status in previous week | 0.34 | ||
| Excellent | 124 (11.6) | 84 (12.0) | |
| Very good | 317 (29.7) | 222 (31.8) | |
| Good | 323 (30.3) | 223 (31.9) | |
| Fair | 279 (26.1) | 152 (21.7) | |
| Poor | 24 (2.2) | 18 (2.6) |
aIncludes Canada, China, Singapore, and Taiwan.
bIncludes washing hands before touching mouth, eyes, and nose; washing hands with soap; wearing face mask; using serving utensils during meals; adopting precautionary measures when touching possibly contaminated objects, washing hands after touching possibly contaminated objects; adopting home preventive measures (such as maintaining good ventilation and using bleach to clean surfaces and home appliances) against SARS; and adopting workplace preventive measures (such as maintaining good ventilation, using bleach to clean surfaces and office furniture, and not allowing staff who are sick to come to work) against SARS.
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Page updated: March 29, 2011
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