Epidemiology of Sindbis virus infections in Finland 1981–96: possible factors explaining a peculiar disease pattern

Pogosta disease (PD), an epidemic rash-arthritis occurring in late summer is caused by Sindbis virus (SINV) and is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Altogether 2183 PD cases were serologically confirmed 1981–96 in Finland, with an annual incidence of 2.7/100000 (18 in the most endemic area of Nor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Epidemiology and infection 2002-10, Vol.129 (2), p.335-345
Main Authors: BRUMMER-KORVENKONTIO, M., VAPALAHTI, O., KUUSISTO, P., SAIKKU, P., MANNI, T., KOSKELA, P., NYGREN, T., BRUMMER-KORVENKONTIO, H., VAHERI, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Alphavirus Infections - blood
Alphavirus Infections - epidemiology
Alphavirus Infections - etiology
Alphavirus Infections - transmission
Animals
Antibodies
Antibodies, Viral - blood
Arboviruses
Arthritis
Biological and medical sciences
Birds
Birds - virology
Child
Child, Preschool
Disease
Disease Outbreaks
Epidemics
Epidemiology
Female
Finland - epidemiology
Geography
Health care
Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests
Human viral diseases
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Infections
Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
Infectious diseases
Male
Mammals - virology
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Miscellaneous
Mosquitoes
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - blood
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - epidemiology
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - etiology
Public health
Retrospective Studies
Rubella
Seasons
Seroepidemiologic Studies
Serology
Sex Factors
Sindbis Virus
Sindbis Virus - immunology
Sindbis Virus - isolation & purification
Viral diseases
Virology
Viruses
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Description
Summary:Pogosta disease (PD), an epidemic rash-arthritis occurring in late summer is caused by Sindbis virus (SINV) and is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Altogether 2183 PD cases were serologically confirmed 1981–96 in Finland, with an annual incidence of 2.7/100000 (18 in the most endemic area of Northern Karelia). The annual average was 136 (varying from 1 to 1282) with epidemics occurring in August–September with a 7-year interval. Studies on 6320 patients with suspected rubella (1973–89) revealed 107 PD cases. The depth of snow cover and the temperature in May–July seemed to predict the number of cases. The morbidity was highest in 45- to 65-year-old females and lowest in children. Subclinical SINV infections were 17 times more common than the clinical ones. The SINV-antibody prevalence in fertile-age females was 0.6% in 1992; the estimated seroprevalence in Finland is about 2%. Among game animals the tetraonids (black grouse and capercaillie) had the highest seroprevalence (65%) in the epidemic year of 1981.
ISSN:0950-2688
1469-4409
DOI:10.1017/S0950268802007409