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Volume 10, Number 2—February 2004
THEME ISSUE
2004 SARS Edition
SARS Transmission

Probable Secondary Infections in Households of SARS Patients in Hong Kong

Joseph T.F. Lau*Comments to Author , Mason Lau*, Jean H. Kim*, Eric Wong*, Hi-Yi Tsui*, Thomas Tsang†, and Tze Wai Wong‡
Author affiliations: *Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People’s Republic of China (SAR); †Department of Health, Hong Kong SAR; ‡Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Hong Kong SAR

Main Article

Table 1

Univariate association between various risk factors and Household Member Attack Rates (HMAR)

Risk factor % attack rate
 Odds ratio (95% CI) Chi-square
p value
Case
 Control
(n = 131) (n = 2,139)
Sexa
Male
 46.6
 48.3
 1.00
 0.701
Female
 53.4
 51.7
 1.07 (0.75 to 1.53)
Age (y)b
18–30
 46.6
 46.9
 1.00
 0.287
31–40
 15.3
 15.3
 1.17 (0.68 to 2.01)
41–50
 16.2
 16.3
 1.04 (0.60 to 1.81)
51–60
 10.9
 10.7
 1.58 (0.90 to 2.76)
>61
 11.1
 10.8
 1.65 (0.95 to 2.86)
Type of Index Person (IP)
Hospital care workers
 7.6
 33.5
 1.00
 <0.001c
Amoy Gardens Block E residents
 10.7
 2.8
 16.99 (7.23 to 39.90)
Amoy Gardens other Block residents
 15.3
 10.6
 6.31 (2.91 to 13.67)
Other community members
 66.4
 53.2
 5.48 (2.83 to 10.61)
Date of IP’s fever onsetd
Before March 25
 51.9
 34.2
 1.00
 <0.001
On or after March 25
 48.1
 65.8
 0.48 (0.34 to 0.69)
Duration IP stayed home between fever onset and hospitalization (d)e
<2
 31.3
 51.0
 1.00
 <0.001
3–5
 32.1
 30.3
 1.72 (1.11 to 2.68)
>6
 36.6
 18.8
 3.18 (2.07 to 4.90)
IP visited by a family member during hospitalization?
No
 73.3
 87.9
 1.00
 <0.001
Yes
 26.7
 12.1
 2.65 (1.76 to 3.98)
Mask use during hospital visits by a household memberf
Not visited by any household member
 75.0
 88.6
 1.00
 <0.0013
Visited, both with mask on
 6.3
 4.0
 1.87 (0.88 to 3.96)
Visited, one with mask on
 5.5
 3.6
 1.78 (0.80 to 3.96)
Visited, both without mask on
 13.3
 3.8
 4.16 (2.37 to 7.30)
Whether caretaker of IP
No
 64.9
 82.0
 1.00
 <0.001
Yes
 35.1
 18.0
 2.47 (1.70 to 3.60)
Whether shared room and bed with IPg
Never
 59.7
 81.3
 1.00
 <0.001
Sharing room
 8.9
 7.3
 1.66 (0.86 to 3.19)
Sharing room and bed
 31.5
 11.4
 3.74 (2.48 to 5.64)
Frequency of dining together with IPh
Never
 37.0
 60.2
 1.00
 <0.001
<5
 21.8
 18.7
 1.90 (1.15 to 3.12)
5–10
 14.3
 9.7
 2.40 (1.35 to 4.29)
>10
 26.9
 11.4
 3.82 (2.38 to 6.15)
Frequency of close contact with IP (within 1 m)i
Never
 22.5
 48.4
 1.00
 <0.001
Seldom
 15.0
 14.7
 2.19 (1.19 to 4.02)
Occasionally
 24.2
 16.4
 3.17 (1.85 to 5.42)
Frequent
 38.3
 20.5
 4.03 (2.47 to 6.56)
Frequency coughed at by IP (within 1 meter) j
Never
 77.6
 90.3
 1.00
 <0.0013
Seldom
 6.5
 4.2
 1.81 (0.81 to 4.03)
Occasionally
 10.3
 2.8
 4.29 (2.17 to 8.48)
Frequent 5.6 2.6 2.47 (1.03 to 5.90)

aInformation on 31 controls missing.
bInformation on 7 cases and 160 controls missing .
cChi-square test exact p value.
dInformation on 3 controls missing.
eInformation on 6 controls missing.
fInformation on 3 cases 18 controls missing.
gInformation on 7 cases and 24 controls missing.
hInformation on 12 cases and 51 controls missing.
iInformation on 13 cases and 37 controls missing.
jInformation on 24 cases and 98 controls missing.

Main Article

Page created: February 03, 2011
Page updated: February 03, 2011
Page reviewed: February 03, 2011
The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above.
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