Effects of school holidays on seasonal influenza in South Korea, 2014-2016

Abstract

School closures are considered as a potential nonpharmaceutical intervention to mitigate severe influenza epidemics and pandemics. In this study, we assessed the effects of scheduled school closure on influenza transmission using influenza surveillance data before, during, and after spring breaks in South Korea, 2014-2016. During the spring breaks, influenza transmission was reduced by 27%-39%, while the overall reduction in transmissibility was estimated to be 6%-23%, with greater effects observed among school-aged children.