Incidence of human brucellosis in a rural area in Western Greece after the implementation of a vaccination programme against animal brucellosis
2008

Impact of Animal Vaccination on Human Brucellosis in Greece

Sample size: 397 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Eleni Jelastopulu, Christos Bikas, Chrysanthos Petropoulos, Michalis Leotsinidis

Primary Institution: Department of Public Health, Medical School, University of Patras, Patras, Greece

Hypothesis

Does the implementation of an animal brucellosis control programme affect the incidence of human brucellosis?

Conclusion

The study reveals a statistically significant decline in the incidence of human brucellosis after the vaccination programme.

Supporting Evidence

  • The incidence rate of human brucellosis fell from 10.3 per 1,000 population to 0.3 per 1,000 after vaccination.
  • Health education efforts contributed to a decline in human brucellosis incidence even among unvaccinated herds.
  • Statistically significant reductions were observed in both vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

Takeaway

Vaccinating animals and educating people can help reduce the number of humans getting sick from brucellosis.

Methodology

The study compared incidence rates of human brucellosis before and after a vaccination programme in two time periods.

Limitations

The study did not perform brucella cultivation for diagnosis.

Participant Demographics

Participants included 123 patients diagnosed with brucellosis and 274 matched controls from the same region.

Statistical Information

P-Value

< 0.001

Confidence Interval

0.10 – 0.23

Statistical Significance

p < 0.001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-8-241

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