Influenza and other respiratory viruses
-
Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
Patterns in influenza antiviral medication use before and during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, Vaccine Safety Datalink Project, 2000-2010.
U.S. recommendations for using influenza antiviral medications changed in response to viral resistance (to reduce adamantane use) and during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic (to focus on protecting high-risk patients). Little information is available on clinician adherence to these recommendations. We characterized population-based outpatient antiviral medication usage, including diagnosis and testing practices, before and during the pandemic. ⋯ Antiviral medication usage patterns suggest that clinicians followed recommendations to change antiviral prescribing based on resistance and to focus on high-risk patients during the pandemic. Medications were commonly dispensed to patients without influenza diagnoses and tests, suggesting that antiviral dispensings may offer useful supplemental data for monitoring influenza incidence.
-
Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
Intensive care unit patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1pdm09) virus infection - United States, 2009.
The influenza A (H1N1pdm09) [pH1N1] virus resulted in intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and death. ⋯ Among patients hospitalized in an ICU with pH1N1 virus infection, ARDS was a common complication, and one-quarter of patients died. Patients with asthma had less severe outcomes. Early treatment with influenza antiviral agents was likely beneficial, especially when initiated ≤ 2 days after illness onset.
-
Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
Pandemic influenza A(H1)pdm09 in hospitals and intensive care units - results from a new hospital surveillance, Germany 2009/2010.
The pandemic influenza A(H1)pdm09 (PI) was introduced to Germany in April 2009. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) implemented a nationwide voluntary hospital sentinel surveillance for to assess the burden and severity of PI. ⋯ The surveillance started shortly after the PI peak, which explains the small number of PI cases. The burden of PI disease was low, but higher in ICUs with a high proportion of severe cases needing ventilation and ECMO treatment. A continuous hospital surveillance system could be helpful to measure the burden of severe community-acquired infections.
-
Influenza Other Respi Viruses · Nov 2012
U.S. utilization patterns of influenza antiviral medications during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.
The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic in the United States occurred from April 2009 to April 2010. The 2009 H1N1 influenza virus was susceptible to neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir). ⋯ Weekly prescription utilization of all influenza antivirals used to treat influenza during the seasonal influenza outbreak followed the same trend of weekly reports of the number of visits for influenza-like-illnesses (ILI) by the Influenza Sentinel Provider Surveillance Network. The ILI epidemic curve resembled dispensed antiviral prescription trends (both overall and stratified by age), providing some corroboration for the surveillance data.