Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38005841›Full record

Observational studyViruses2023

The Epidemiology of Chickenpox in England, 2016-2022: An Observational Study Using General Practitioner Consultations.

Megan Bardsley, Paul Loveridge, Natalia G Bednarska, Sue Smith, Roger A Morbey, Gayatri Amirthalingam, William H Elson, Chris Bates, Simon de Lusignan, Daniel Todkill and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Viruses, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Megan BardsleyReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-9690-6493
Paul LoveridgeReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.
Natalia G BednarskaReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2623-2120
Sue SmithReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-1066-5175
Roger A MorbeyReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8543-477X
Gayatri AmirthalingamImmunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases Division, UK Health Security Agency, London NW9 5EQ, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2078-0975
William H ElsonNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6ED, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8630-1378
Chris BatesTPP SystmOne, Leeds LS18 5PX, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-0113-2593
Simon de LusignanNuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6ED, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8553-2641
Daniel TodkillReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4325-4786
Alex J ElliotReal-Time Syndromic Surveillance Team, Field Services, Health Protection Operations, UK Health Security Agency, Birmingham B2 4BH, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-6414-3065
UK Health Security Agency · GBUniversity of Oxford · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Chickenpox is a common childhood disease caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV). VZV vaccination is not part of the UK childhood immunisation programme, but its potential inclusion is regularly assessed. It is therefore important to understand the ongoing burden of VZV in the community to inform vaccine policy decisions. General practitioner (GP) chickenpox consultations were studied from 1 September 2016 to 9 December 2022. Over the study period, the mean weekly chickenpox consultation rate per 100,000 population in England was 3.4, with a regular peak occurring between weeks 13 and 15. Overall, rates decreased over time, from a mean weekly rate of 5.5 in 2017 to 4.2 in 2019. The highest mean weekly rates were among children aged 1-4 years. There was no typical epidemic peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2022, rates were proportionally higher among children aged < 1 year old compared to pre-pandemic years. Chickenpox GP consultation rates decreased in England, continuing a longer-term decline in the community. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted rates, likely caused by the introduction of non-pharmaceutical interventions to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmission. The lasting impact of the interruption of typical disease transmission remains to be seen, but it is important to monitor the chickenpox burden to inform decisions on vaccine programmes.

Indexed as

ChickenpoxCOVID-19General PractitionersHerpes ZosterChickenpox VaccineChild, PreschoolEnglandHerpesvirus 3, HumanHumansInfantPandemicsChickenpox Vaccinechickenpoxgeneral practitionerprimary caresyndromic surveillancevaccinationvaricellavaricella-zoster

Identifiers

PMID38005841
PMCPMC10674747
OpenAlexW4387976627

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.