Social contact patterns and implications for infectious disease transmission - a systematic review and meta-analysis of contact surveys.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Transmission of respiratory pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 depends on patterns of contact and mixing across populations. Understanding this is crucial to predict pathogen spread and the effectiveness of control efforts. Most analyses of contact patterns to date have focused on high-income settings.

Methods

Here, we conduct a systematic review and individual-participant meta-analysis of surveys carried out in low- and middle-income countries and compare patterns of contact in these settings to surveys previously carried out in high-income countries. Using individual-level data from 28,503 participants and 413,069 contacts across 27 surveys, we explored how contact characteristics (number, location, duration, and whether physical) vary across income settings.

Resul

SUBMITTER: Mousa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8765757 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature