Social contacts, vaccination decisions and influenza in Japan
Background Contact patterns and vaccination decisions are fundamental to transmission dynamics of infectious diseases. We report on age-specific contact patterns in Japan and their effect on influenza vaccination behaviour.
Methods Japanese adults (N=3146) were surveyed in Spring 2011 to assess the number of their social contacts within a 24 h period, defined as face-to-face conversations within 2 m, and gain insight into their influenza-related behaviour. We analysed the duration and location of contacts according to age. Additionally, we analysed the probability of vaccination and influenza infection in relation to the number of contacts controlling for individual’s characteristics.
Results The mean and median reported numbers of daily contacts were 15.3 and 12.0, respectively. Schoolaged children and young adults reported the greatest number of daily contacts, and individuals had the most contacts with those in the same age group. The agespecific contact patterns were different between men and ...