Articles: pandemics.
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Antiviral drugs will initially be the mainstay of pharmaceutical intervention in an influenza pandemic. Used primarily for therapeutic treatment, they can also lower transmission in the community. ⋯ However, where a sub-group of the population has a high mortality risk, a strategy to minimise deaths must be carefully balanced, and is not always in agreement with prioritising treatment for those at risk. We discuss implications for public health planning.
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The pandemic novel influenza A (H1N1) infection was considered widespread in Brazil on July 16, 2009. Since then, 46,810 cases of acute respiratory syndrome have been reported in Brazil, most of them concentrated in São Paulo. Through September 16, we have confirmed 9,249 cases of novel influenza A H1N1in Brazil, including 699 deaths. ⋯ During the winter of 2009, 472 patients in this hospital were diagnosed with H1N1 infection; of these, 210 were admitted, and 16 died. To control this pandemic and to provide adequate care for these patients, the Hospital das Clínicas implemented "bundles" including prevention strategies, an epidemiologic surveillance service, availability of fast diagnosis, antiviral treatment and training of staff. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the epidemiologic features of novel human influenza A (H1N1) infection in the Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo during the winter period of the 2009 pandemic.