Abstract
Introduction: Norovirus and Rotavirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) globally across age groups, causing an estimated 18% of all diarrheal disease cases worldwide. This viral gastroenteritis can be transmitted in varied ways, primarily from the faecal-oral route, person-to-person contact and secondarily via ingestion of aerosolized viral particles in vomitus, food and water. Hence, social distancing, hand hygiene and mask-wearing might have inadvertently controlled the spread of the infection. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, these control measures were strictly implemented which led to social and individual behaviour changes. This study aims to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 control measures in controlling the Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreak in the Kuantan District.
Methods: Data and reports on Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreaks from January 2022 to May 2022 were analyzed and reviewed.
Results: A total of four outbreaks, two Rotavirus outbreaks and two Norovirus outbreaks occurred during the epidemiological week one (EW 1), three (EW 3), four (EW 4) and six (EW 6). These outbreaks involved children's home, kindergartens and individual houses. About 114 cases age range between 3 months and 40 years old were infected during the outbreak. Despite the COVID-19 control measures being a part of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all institutions yet, there is still an outbreak occurred. The investigation found that a lack of awareness and breach of the SOP contributed to this outbreak. Risk assessment was done for every outbreak showing that the spread of the diseases occurred due to poor hand hygiene, lack of environmental disinfection and poor social distancing. The COVID-19 control measures were used in managing these outbreaks. It emphasized: (1) immediate isolation of all symptomatic individuals who experiencing diarrhea and/or nausea and/or vomiting, (2) frequent hand hygiene, (3) wearing masks, especially in the close area like kindergarten, (4) limit the movement of the children caretaker or handler by creating a cohort so that the infection confines to one group of people only, and (5) frequent environmental disinfection using the correct methods, mainly in the nurseries setting as well as home. The outbreaks were monitored closely for 10 days from the date of outbreak declaration. No new case was reported for all Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreaks.
Conclusion: In conclusion, implementing the control measures for COVID-19 in managing the Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreak helps to prevent the infection and transmission of the diseases. However, we cannot exclude that there is a natural self-limiting Norovirus and Rotavirus, independent of COVID-19 control measures.
Links
- https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-O-41.pdf
- https://apcph.cphm.my/events/oral-session-4-ballroom-A/
BibTeX (Download)
@proceedings{APCPH2022-O-41,
title = {Norovirus and Rotavirus Outbreak in Kuantan District: Does COVID-19 Control Measures Help in Controlling the Outbreak?},
author = {Roslaili Khairudin and Wan Rosmawati Wan Ismail and Mohd Salleh Ibrahim and Mohamad Aizzaq Fauzi and Mohd Rahim Sulong and Nor Azimi Yunus and Husnina Ibrahim},
url = {https://apcph.cphm.my/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/APCPH2022-O-41.pdf
https://apcph.cphm.my/events/oral-session-4-ballroom-A/},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-08-01},
urldate = {2022-08-02},
issue = {7},
abstract = {Introduction: Norovirus and Rotavirus is the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) globally across age groups, causing an estimated 18% of all diarrheal disease cases worldwide. This viral gastroenteritis can be transmitted in varied ways, primarily from the faecal-oral route, person-to-person contact and secondarily via ingestion of aerosolized viral particles in vomitus, food and water. Hence, social distancing, hand hygiene and mask-wearing might have inadvertently controlled the spread of the infection. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, these control measures were strictly implemented which led to social and individual behaviour changes. This study aims to evaluate the effect of COVID-19 control measures in controlling the Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreak in the Kuantan District.
Methods: Data and reports on Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreaks from January 2022 to May 2022 were analyzed and reviewed.
Results: A total of four outbreaks, two Rotavirus outbreaks and two Norovirus outbreaks occurred during the epidemiological week one (EW 1), three (EW 3), four (EW 4) and six (EW 6). These outbreaks involved children's home, kindergartens and individual houses. About 114 cases age range between 3 months and 40 years old were infected during the outbreak. Despite the COVID-19 control measures being a part of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all institutions yet, there is still an outbreak occurred. The investigation found that a lack of awareness and breach of the SOP contributed to this outbreak. Risk assessment was done for every outbreak showing that the spread of the diseases occurred due to poor hand hygiene, lack of environmental disinfection and poor social distancing. The COVID-19 control measures were used in managing these outbreaks. It emphasized: (1) immediate isolation of all symptomatic individuals who experiencing diarrhea and/or nausea and/or vomiting, (2) frequent hand hygiene, (3) wearing masks, especially in the close area like kindergarten, (4) limit the movement of the children caretaker or handler by creating a cohort so that the infection confines to one group of people only, and (5) frequent environmental disinfection using the correct methods, mainly in the nurseries setting as well as home. The outbreaks were monitored closely for 10 days from the date of outbreak declaration. No new case was reported for all Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreaks.
Conclusion: In conclusion, implementing the control measures for COVID-19 in managing the Norovirus and Rotavirus outbreak helps to prevent the infection and transmission of the diseases. However, we cannot exclude that there is a natural self-limiting Norovirus and Rotavirus, independent of COVID-19 control measures.},
howpublished = {published online at https://apcph.cphm.my},
note = {Type: ORAL PRESENTATION; Organisation: Kuantan District Health Office, Pahang, Malaysia; Pahang State Health Office, Kuantan, Pahang.},
keywords = {control measures, Covid-19, Kuantan District, Norovirus, Rotavirus},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {proceedings}
}