Figure 4

Improving Estimates of Social Contact Patterns for Airborne Transmission of Respiratory Pathogens

Nicky McCreesh

, Mbali Mohlamonyane, Anita Edwards, Stephen Olivier, Keabetswe Dikgale, Njabulo Dayi, Dickman Gareta, Robin Wood, Alison D. Grant, Richard G. White, and Keren Middelkoop

Author affiliations: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine TB Centre, London, UK (N. McCreesh, A.D. Grant, R.G. White); The Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa (M. Mohlamonyane, R. Wood, K. Middelkoop); University of KwaZulu-Natal Africa Health Research Institute, Durban, South Africa (A. Edwards, A.D. Grant); Africa Health Research Institute, Durban (S. Olivier, K. Dikgale, N. Dayi, D. Gareta); University of Cape Town Department of Medicine, Cape Town (R. Wood, K. Middelkoop); University of the Witwatersrand School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa (A.D. Grant)

Main Article

Age-mixing matrices relevant for droplet transmission (A,B), nonsaturating airborne transmission (C,D), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission (F,G) for study of social contact patterns for airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Panels A, C, and F show absolute contact intensities between respondents and contacts in each age group; panels B, D, and G show intensities of contact between each member of each age group; panels E and H show intensities for airborne infections and M. tuberculosis compared with intensities for droplet infections, respectively. Numbers shown in panel A are the mean number of contacts respondents in each age group have with contacts in each age group per day. Numbers shown in panel B are the rate of contact between each person in the population per day, expressed as rates × 105. Numbers and rates in panels C, D, F, and G are standardized so that the mean overall contact intensity by reported by adult respondents is the same as the mean number of overall close contacts reported by adult respondents (panel A). Contact numbers between child respondents and contacts in each age group were estimated from data on contact between adult respondents and child contacts.

Figure 4. Age-mixing matrices relevant for droplet transmission (A,B), nonsaturating airborne transmission (C,D), and Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission (F,G) for study of social contact patterns for airborne transmission of respiratory pathogens, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Panels A, C, and F show absolute contact intensities between respondents and contacts in each age group; panels B, D, and G show intensities of contact between each member of each age group; panels E and H show intensities for airborne infections and M. tuberculosis compared with intensities for droplet infections, respectively. Numbers shown in panel A are the mean number of contacts respondents in each age group have with contacts in each age group per day. Numbers shown in panel B are the rate of contact between each person in the population per day, expressed as rates × 10⁵. Numbers and rates in panels C, D, F, and G are standardized so that the mean overall contact intensity by reported by adult respondents is the same as the mean number of overall close contacts reported by adult respondents (panel A). Contact numbers between child respondents and contacts in each age group were estimated from data on contact between adult respondents and child contacts.

Main Article

Page created: August 15, 2022

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