Articles: pandemics.
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To describe the clinical features, risk factors for severe disease and effectiveness of oseltamivir in patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. ⋯ During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, elderly or obese patients and those with neurological disease had an increased risk for severe H1N1 infection in Austria. Pregnancy was not associated with a higher risk for severe disease in the later phase of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Antiviral treatment provided a minimal effect on the symptoms of influenza but reduced the risk of admission to an ICU.
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Glucocorticoids increase the risk of developing critical disease from viral infections. However, primary care practitioners in China use them as antipyretics, potentially exposing hundreds of millions to this risk. ⋯ Early use of parenteral glucocorticoids therapy for fever reduction and pneumonia prevention increases the risk for critical disease or death from pH1N1 infection. We recommend that guidelines on glucocorticoid use be established and enforced.
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Clin. Vaccine Immunol. · Aug 2011
ReviewSeroprevalence to influenza A(H1N1) 2009 virus--where are we?
Age-specific seroprevalences for influenza virus make important contributions to estimating the burden of infection and determining the vulnerable populations. It is especially difficult to know the true clinical attack rates of the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic; however, we can estimate infection rates through analyses of seroprevalences based on national studies from different continents and countries with different demographics. After the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, seroprevalence studies found 5 to 60% of populations across different continents and age groups having antibodies against the A(H1N1) 2009 virus. ⋯ Preexisting cross-reactive antibodies against the virus were present mostly in sera of older people (born before 1950) who could have encountered viruses descended from the 1918 pandemic viruses. Experience with the 2009 pandemic indicates how essential early and timely serology data against the emerging virus can be for informing decisions on use of antivirals and vaccination campaigns, especially in regard to risk groups. The objectives of this review were to summarize the current data available on seroprevalence before and after the 2009 influenza A(H1N1) pandemic and the lessons learned for future pandemic preparedness.
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To describe the clinical manifestations of patients affected with a novel influenza A (H1N1 2009) during the pandemic. ⋯ Younger people were more likely to be infected with influenza A H1N1 2009. The clinical manifestations were similar to the seasonal influenza. However, the mortality rate was much higher, particularly in patients who developed pneumonia. In this study, all patients who died had existing underlying medical conditions.