Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
Euro Surveill. 2010 Jan 21;15(3):19467.
School-age children are at a high risk of acute respiratory virus infections including the 2009 pandemic influenza A(H1N1). School absence records have been suggested as a tool for influenza surveillance. We analysed absence records from six primary schools (children aged from around five to 11 years) in London during the years 2005 to 2007 in order to provide baseline epidemiological characteristics of illness-related school absence, and to correlate school absence with seasonal influenza. The daily average prevalence of absence due to illness was 2.9%. The incidence was 1.3% per person-day. The mean duration of absence was 1.8 days (SD 1.8). Over 60% of absence episodes lasted for one day. Absence prevalence did not differ by sex. Prevalence was highest in the youngest children and then declined slightly, but was again high again in the oldest. Absence was slightly higher on Mondays and Fridays. In general, peaks of absenteeism coincided with peaks of influenza A and B (laboratory reports) but several high peaks were not associated with influenza. There was a better correlation between absence and laboratory reports and prevalence compared to incidence. School absence data may be useful for the detection of localised school outbreaks and as an additional surveillance tool but are limited by lack of data on weekends and during holidays.
学龄儿童患急性呼吸道病毒感染的风险较高，包括 2009 年的甲型 H1N1 流感大流行。缺勤记录已被提议作为流感监测的一种工具。我们分析了伦敦六所小学（年龄在 5 至 11 岁之间）在 2005 年至 2007 年期间的缺勤记录，以提供与疾病相关的学校缺勤的基线流行病学特征，并将学校缺勤与季节性流感相关联。由于疾病而导致的平均每日缺勤率为 2.9%。发病率为每人每天 1.3%。平均缺勤时间为 1.8 天（标准差为 1.8）。超过 60%的缺勤时间为一天。缺勤率与性别无关。最小的孩子缺勤率最高，然后略有下降，但最大的孩子再次升高。周一和周五的缺勤率略高。一般来说，缺勤率的高峰与甲型和乙型流感（实验室报告）的高峰一致，但有几个高峰与流感无关。与发病率相比，缺勤率与实验室报告和患病率的相关性更好。学校缺勤数据可能有助于发现局部学校疫情，作为额外的监测工具，但由于缺乏周末和假期的数据而受到限制。
