Research and analysis

Communal accommodation settings: infectious disease transmission

This rapid review summarises available evidence on infectious disease transmission risk in communal accommodation settings.

• From: UK Health Security Agency
• Published: 7 May 2024

Documents

The risk of infectious disease transmission posed by communal accommodation

Ref: GOV-16434

PDF, 1.18 MB, 98 pages

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Details

The settings included in this review were dormitories, vessels, emergency shelters, shelters and hostels for those experiencing homelessness, high-density or crowded private households and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

The rapid review, with research published up to 16 March 2023, included 41 studies, all of which were observational in study design published between 2000 and 2023. Twenty-five studies investigated the transmission of acute respiratory infections, 8 the transmission of tuberculosis, 4 the transmission of gastrointestinal infections, 5 the transmission of skin infections and one study the transmission of meningococcal disease.

The review was not population-specific, but the findings are most relevant to populations that are more likely to live in high-density or communal accommodation settings.

Published 7 May 2024