Emerg Infect Dis. Comparison of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Seasonal Influenza, Western Australia, 2009

[Giuseppe]

Comparison of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Seasonal Influenza, Western Australia, 2009 (Emerg Infect Dis., abstract, edited)

[Source: Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal, full PDF Document (LINK). Abstract, edited.]

DOI: 10.3201/eid1609.100076
Suggested citation for this article: Carcione D, Giele C, Dowse GK, Mak DB, Goggin L, Kwan K, et al. Comparison of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza, Western Australia, 2009. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Sep; [Epub ahead of print]

Comparison of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Seasonal Influenza, Western Australia, 2009

Dale Carcione, Carolien Giele, Gary K. Dowse, Donna B. Mak, Leigh Goggin, Kelly Kwan, Simon Williams, David Smith, and Paul Effler

Author affiliations: Communicable Disease Control Directorate, Perth, Western Australia, Australia (D. Carcione, C. Giele, G.K. Dowse, D.B. Mak, L. Goggin, K. Kwan, P. Effler); and PathWest Laboratory Medicine, Nedlands, Western Australia, Australia (S. Williams, D. Smith)


We compared confirmed pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza and seasonal influenza diagnosed in Western Australia during the 2009 influenza season. From 3,178 eligible reports, 984 pandemic and 356 seasonal influenza patients were selected; 871 (88.5%) and 288 (80.9%) were interviewed, respectively. Patients in both groups reported a median of 6 of 11 symptoms; the difference between groups in the proportion reporting any given symptom was <10%. Fewer than half the patients in both groups had >1 underlying condition, and only diabetes was associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza (odds ratio [OR] 1.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1?3.5). Of the patients, 129 (14.8%) persons with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and 36 (12.5%) persons with seasonal influenza were hospitalized (p = 0.22). After controlling for age, we found that patient hospitalization was associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza (OR 1.5; 95% CI 1.1?2.1). Contemporaneous pandemic and seasonal influenza infections were substantially similar in terms of patients? symptoms, risk factors, and proportion hospitalized.

-
------

 

[tetano]

Re: Emerg Infect Dis. Comparison of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and Seasonal Influenza, Western Australia, 2009

I think this study is interesting but for reasons contrary to that which the authors argue. The authors say that pandemic flu was emphasized , saying it is not true that caused 100x mortality than the seasonal (Flahault about Mauritius Island), but they did not understand what Flahault wanted mean:100x is the risk of direct death (ARDS) compared to seasonal flu.

This study shows that the pandemic flu is more serious than seasonal flu in the younger population (1.5, it means 50% more risk of hospitalization) and causes a greater number of hospitalization days. Moreover the only deaths (2) were in pandemic group.
Note that the number of people treated with antivirals appears to be double in the group of patients compared with patients with pandemic flu and this may have caused fewer symptoms and complications in the first group.

I think the authors have understood little or nothing of what happened