Articles: pandemics.
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During the first pandemic wave of the influenza A H1N1 2009 virus, morbidity was particularly high in Brazil. Hospitalizations resulting from severe respiratory disease due to suspected influenza-like illness created an opportunity to identify other respiratory viruses causing lower respiratory infections. ⋯ These data highlight the need to diagnose other viral infections that can co-circulate with influenza and may have been neglected by physicians as causes of severe respiratory diseases.
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To assess the level of pandemic preparedness at emergency departments (EDs) around the country and to better understand current barriers to preparedness in the United States represented by health professionals in the American College of Emergency Physician (ACEP) Disaster Medicine Section (DMS). METHODS, DESIGN, and ⋯ There appear to be significant gaps in pandemic influenza and other infectious disease outbreak planning among the hospitals where ACEP DMS members work. This may reflect a broader underlying inadequacy of preparedness measures.
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Anaesth Intensive Care · May 2011
Multicenter StudyThe critical care costs of the influenza A/H1N1 2009 pandemic in Australia and New Zealand.
The aim of this study was to determine the critical care and associated hospital costs for 2009 influenza A/H1N1 patients admitted to intensive care units (ICU) in Australia and New Zealand during the southern hemisphere winter All 762 patients admitted to ICUs in Australian and New Zealand between 1 June and 31 August 2009 with confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza A were included. Costs were assigned based on ICU and hospital length-of-stay, using data from a single Australian ICU which estimated the daily cost of an ICU bed, along with published costs for a ward bed. ⋯ A multivariate analysis found death was significantly associated with a reduction in the log of total costs, while the use of mechanical ventilation and ICU admission with viral pneumonitis/acute respiratory distress syndrome or secondary bacterial pneumonia were significantly associated with an increase in the log of total costs. The cost of 2009 H1N1 patients in ICU was significantly higher than the previously published costs for an average ICU admission, and the total cost of treating 2009 H1N1 patients in ICU admitted during winter 2009 was more than $65,000,000.
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Systemic safety surveillance is an essential component of vaccination programmes to elucidate the full safety profile of a vaccine and to detect previously unrecognized adverse reactions that might be related to new vaccines. This article summarizes the spontaneous adverse drug reactions (ADR) from approximately 12 million administered doses of the pandemic MF59-adjuvanted H1N1v vaccine (Focetria®, Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics) from the mass vaccination programmes in Europe. ⋯ The analyses of the spontaneously reported adverse events support the good safety profile of the MF59-adjuvanted H1N1v pandemic influenza vaccine.
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · May 2011
Corticosteroid treatment in critically ill patients with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 infection: analytic strategy using propensity scores.
Administration of adjuvant corticosteroids to patients with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 2009 (pH1N1) may reduce inflammation and improve outcomes. ⋯ Adjuvant corticosteroids were significantly associated with higher mortality in critically ill patients with pH1N1 infection.