Survey of a varicella outbreak in a village school in Zhengyuan county, Guizhou province,2009

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of a varicella outbreak in a village school in Zhengyuan county and explore the prevention and control measures of respiratory diseases in schools. Methods Descriptive epidemiology analysis and case-control study were conducted. Results Totally 117 cases occurred, the attack rate was 15.4%. The secondary cases mainly occurred among the girl students living in school dormitories. The risk factors included sharing dormitory, visiting dormitory by day students and eating of packed food bought in school on March 6. The third generation cases mainly occurred among classmates, the risk factors included sharing of table and sharing of writing tools. Conclusion The varicella outbreak was caused by indirect and close contacts among the students due to the untimely control measures.