Human landing catch (HLC) is the most efficient method for Aedes monitoring, but it is not ethical due to its high risk of human exposure to pathogens. We designed trials to assess the performance of an alternative human-baited double net trap (HDN) for field Aedes albopictus monitoring compared with the standard HLC. Outdoor HDN and HLC catches were conducted simultaneously at 15 field sites on two sunny days in mid-July and August. The tests were performed 3 h apart: an early morning period (7:30–8:30 h), a pre-sunset period (16:30–17:30 h) and a post-sunset period (18:30–19:30 h). A total of 90 comparisons were made between the two methods. Field comparisons were designed to minimize half-hour bias and human-bait attraction bias. Two mosquito species were collected by HDN and HLC, with the predominated species being Ae. albopictus (HDN: n = 1325, 97.35% of total; HLC: n = 531, 92.51% of total). A small proportion were adults of the Culex pipiens complex (HDN: n = 36, 2.65% of total; HLC: n = 43, 7.49% of total). Although the mean Ae. albopictus catch per hour of HLC was significantly higher than HDN (14.72 vs 5.90 per h, t(178) = 3.151, P = 0.003), there were significant positive spatial and temporal correlations between HLC and HDN for Ae. albopictus sampling among different sites and hours (r(90) = 0.785, P < 0.001; r(90) = 0.785, P < 0.001). Both methods proved that Ae. albopictus was most active during the hours before sunset and least active after sunset. No significant variation was observed in Ae. albopictus catch size of HDN between groups of more attractive and less attractive humans (3.38 vs 2.51 per 30 min, t(88) = 1.283, P = 0.201). With moderate sampling efficiency, significantly positive spatial correlation with HLC, and less human-bait attraction bias, HDN appears to be a safer alternative to HLC for Ae. albopictus monitoring in Shanghai. With mosquito activity peaking in the pre-sunset hours, Ae. albopictus catches of HDN should be performed in the hours before dark. The trap design could be improved to make it more portable and easier for field operation.

Objective: Varicella, a highly contagious viral disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), affects millions globally, with a higher prevalence among children. After the initial infection, VZV lies dormant in sensory ganglia and has the potential to reactivate much later, causing herpes zoster (HZ). Vaccination is one of the most effective methods to prevent varicella, and the two-dose varicella vaccine (VarV) regimen is widely used around the world. In China, the VarV has been included in the national immunization programme with a recommended single-dose regimen. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the two-dose vs. one-dose VarV regimen in children in Shanghai, China.Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted in Shanghai, China, from September 2018 to December 2022. The study enrolled children aged 3–18 years who had received either the one-dose, two-dose, or 0-dose VarV regimen. Vaccination history, varicella infection status, and relevant variables, including demographic information (name, date of birth and sex) and medical history (clinical features of varicella and illness duration) were collected through medical record review and parental interviews.Results: A total of 3,838 children were included in the study, with 407 in the 0-dose regimen group, 2,107 in the one-dose regimen group and 1,324 in the two-dose regimen group. The corresponding incidence density in these groups was 0.13, 0.05 and 0.03 cases per 1,000 person-days, respectively. The adjusted vaccine effectiveness (VE) was 81.7% (95%CI: 59.3–91.8%) for the two-dose regimen and 60.3% (95%CI: 29.3–77.7%) for the one-dose regimen, compared to the 0-dose regimen. The two-dose VarV regimen showed a protective effectiveness of 47.6% (95%CI: 2.5–71.9%) compared to the one-dose VarV regimen.Conclusion: This study provides evidence supporting the greater effectiveness of the two-dose VarV regimen in preventing varicella infection compared to the one-dose regimen.

Background: This meta-analysis was performed to assess the prevalence and circulating strains of rotavirus (RV) among Chinese children under 5 years of age after the implantation of the RV vaccine.Material and methods: Studies published between 2019 and 2023, focused on RV-based diarrhea among children less than 5 years were systematically reviewed using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and SinoMed Data. We synthesized their findings to examine prevalence and genetic diversity of RV after the RV vaccine implementation using a fixed-effects or random-effects model.Results: Seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. The overall prevalence of RV was found to be 19.00%. The highest infection rate was noted in children aged 12-23months (25.79%), followed by those aged 24-35 months (23.91%), and 6-11 months (22.08%). The serotype G9 emerged as the most predominant RV genotype, accounting for 85.48% of infections, followed by G2 (7.70%), G8 (5.74%), G1 (4.86%), and G3 (3.21%). The most common P type was P[8], representing 64.02% of RV cases. Among G-P combinations, G9P[8] was the most frequent, responsible for 78.46% of RV infections, succeeded by G8P[8] (31.22%) and G3P[8] (8.11%).Conclusion: Despite the variation of serotypes observed in China, the G1, G2, G3, G8 and G9 serotypes accounted for most RV strains. The genetic diversity analysis highlights the dynamic nature of RV genotypes, necessitating ongoing surveillance to monitor changes in strain distribution and inform future vaccine strategies.

Background: Dysmenorrhea is a cramping pain during menstrual period and the leading cause for recurrent short-term school absenteeism among adolescent girls. However, evidence on the factors associated with the occurrence of dysmenorrhea, school absenteeism and health care seeking behavior among adolescent girls is still limited, especially in China. This study aim to understand the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and to explore factors associated with the school absenteeism and healthcare seeking habit among adolescent girls with dysmenorrhea.Methods: This cross-sectional,questionnaire-based study included 1,243 participants recruited from five junior high schools using cluster sampling method. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire interviews and SPSS 22.0 was used for data analysis.Results: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was 67.2%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that adolescent girls in grade 8 (OR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.32–2.97) and grade 9 (OR = 2.32, 95% CI: 1.54–3.48), whose mothers had a college and above education (OR = 1.85; 95% CI: 1.12–3.07), those with controllable learning burden (OR = 1.69, 95% CI: 1.10–2.60) and uncontrollable learning burden (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.10–3.80) had higher prevalence of dysmenorrhea. Logistic regression indicated that adolescent girls with normal weight (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.43–0.83) had lower proportion of school absenteeism, and adolescent girls with uncontrollable learning burden (OR = 2.73, 95% CI: 1.29–5.75) and with irregular menstruation (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.26–2.39) had higher proportion of school absenteeism. Moreover, underweight adolescent girls, adolescent girls whose mother had senior high education and those with irregular menstruation had a higher proportion of healthcare seeking experience.Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea was common among adolescent girls in junior high schools in Shanghai, and academic stress as well as irregular menstruation was positively associated with dysmenorrhea and school absenteeism. More attention and intervention measures focusing on menstrual health problems should be implemented directly among adolescent girls in junior high school, especially among those with low body weight, irregular menstruation, and academic stress. Most importantly, this study provides scientific evidence on adolescent dysmenorrhea issues, offering targeted recommendations for policymakers to advance the refinement and implementation of public health policies.