Tracking the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in the Italian region Campania

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J Cell Physiol. 2011 Sep 16. doi: 10.1002/jcp.23030. [Epub ahead of print]
Tracking the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in the Italian region Campania.
Esposito C, Di Spirito A, Cuomo N, Di Nicuolo G, Flaminio G, Altamura F, Ambrosino D, Cantalupo F, Costa C, Pentimalli F, Tarro G.
Source

Unit of Virology, "D. Cotugno" Hospital, Naples, Italy.
Abstract

A novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus affecting humans was detected in April 2009 in Mexico, Canada and USA. The S-OIV infection caused a mild to severe febrile respiratory disease throughout the world. Here, we briefly review the main features of influenza A viruses, which caused also other pandemics in the past, and focus in particular on the epidemiology data of the H1N1 influenza in the Italian region Campania, which resulted the most affected by the S-OIV and the one with more lethal cases. In Campania the peak of influenza preceded of about two weeks the incidence peak at the national level. Moreover, the percentage of H1N1-positive patients was much higher in the main town Naples, compared to the other Campania provinces. The age group from 7 months to 17 years was the most affected by the H1N1 infection (43,45%), similarly to what reported at the national level. Here, we discuss the possible reasons of the high H1N1 incidence in Campania and the implications that these findings could have on the future prevention campaigns. J. Cell. Physiol. ? 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Copyright ? 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID:
21928341
[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21928341

 

[tetano]

Re: Tracking the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in the Italian region Campania

Tracking the 2009 H1N1 Influenza Virus in Campania, Italy
Released: 9/28/2011 5:00 PM EDT
Source: Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO)

Newswise ? (September 28, 2011) ? PHILADELPHIA -- An analysis of the high incidence of the H1N1 swine-origin influenza virus (S-OIV) in 2009 in the Campania region of Southern Italy presents important findings that provide a ?significant pattern for emerging viral agents at risk in global health approaches to early diagnosis and prompt therapy,? according to an article in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.

Work on the paper was performed at the virology laboratory of Contugno Hospital, coordinated at CROM (Oncologic Research Center of Mercogliano) and presented by the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research Molecular Medicine, located at the College of Science and Technology in Temple University, Philadelphia, PA and the University of Siena, Siena, Italy, and the Human Health Foundation, in Spoleto-Terni, Italy.

?Analysis of the factors that contributed to higher H1N1 flu incidence is important not only to address the panic issues among the population but has implications on future prevention campaigns,? says Dr. Giulio Tarro, the lead author of the study. ?Being able to identify sources of contamination quickly and accurately has important implications for protecting the environment and monitoring potential pathogens.?

Of the ten regions in Italy, the most impacted by the H1N1 virus was the Campania region, which also had the highest reported number of fatalities ? 27 in the high population density city of Naples and 13 in Lazio. While the number of patients who died was less than past pandemics, the report noted an ?obviously? panicked population, ?due in part to scarce knowledge of the virus and a poor information campaign.?

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http://www.newswise.com/articles/tracking-the-2009-h1n1-influenza-virus-in-campania-italy