Cumulative incidence of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 by a community-based serological cohort study in Selenghe Province, Mongolia

Please cite this paper as: Burmaa et al. (2012) Cumulative incidence of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 by a community‐based serological cohort study in Selenghe Province, Mongolia. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(601), e97–e104. Background Large community outbreaks of pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 occurred between October and December 2009 in Mongolia. A serological study was conducted among the general population by testing paired sera collected before and after the first wave of pandemic in Selenghe province, Mongolia. None of the study participants had been vaccinated for pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 before the second samples were collected. Objective The objective of this study was to estimate cumulative incidence of pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 in different age‐groups of Selenghe province residents. Methods After informed consent was obtained from apparently healthy volunteers, the paired sera and background information were collected. Antibody titers were measured using hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (MN) assays for A/California/07/2009pdm. A fourfold rise in antibody titers was regarded as the evidence of infection. Results The overall cumulative incidences in the study group for all ages were 28·8% (76/264) by HI, 35·2% (93/264) by MN, and 25·0% (66/264) by both HI and MN. Cumulative incidences of infection varied among age‐groups, with children aged 2–4 and 5–9 years having high cumulative incidence of infection. Overall cumulative incidences of infection in the whole population were estimated to be 23·0% (4946/21 460) by HI, 30·2% (6473/21 460) by MN, and 18·8% (4036/21 460) by both HI and MN. Conclusions This study indicates that about one‐fourth of the total population in Selenghe province was infected with pandemic A (H1N1) 2009 virus during the first wave of the pandemic.     

Mesothelioma in Mongolia: case report

Background:

More than 80% of cases of mesothelioma worldwide have a history of asbestos exposure. In Mongolia, workers in coal burning thermal power plants (TPP) have widely utilized asbestos as an insulation material.

Methods:

We describe the case of a 47-year-old woman diagnosed with a malignant pleural mesothelioma. She worked in a TPP in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for 28 years.

Results:

A computer tomography (CT) scan showed a circumferential ring around her left lung, and tissues’ samples had a biphasic variant of mesothelioma with epithelioid and sarcomatoid components.

Discussion:

This is the first reported case of mesothelioma in Mongolia. We expect additional cases of mesothelioma, as well as other asbestos related diseases, will be identified in the future. In order to properly track asbestos related diseases in the country, we recommend the creation of an asbestos related disease registry.     

Impact of lead-induced environmental pollution on children's health in Mongolia

Studies were undertaken to evaluate lead-induced environmental pollution in the urban and rural areas of Mongolia. There was a correlation between blood lead levels in children and the lead pollution of air, soil, snow cover, which is well known to affect children's morbidity.