# 5945
Yesterday, the ECDC’s journal Eurosurveillance published a review of pandemic influenza-related studies presented at the 2011 World Congress of Epidemiology, held in Edinburgh, United Kingdom last August.
First a link to the meeting report, then a brief listing of some of the highlights mentioned. Follow the link to read the entire report.
Eurosurveillance, Volume 16, Issue 45, 10 November 2011
J A Summers, N Wilson, M G Baker
Among the studies mentioned:
- A number of studies looked at differences in age and ethnicity and how they related to influenza mortality in 2009, and during earlier pandemics.
- In contrast to other studies which have found a substantial link between 2009 H1N1 infection, pregnancy, and poor outcomes a small study in Scotland found no such relationship.
- A study out of Australia showed a relationship between weather patterns and the spread of influenza. Colder or wetter weather was linked to higher rates of infection.
- A study of influenza transmission in confined spaces reaffirmed suspicions that restrictions on mass gatherings might help curb influenza transmission, but more research is needed as the association is not consistent.
- Another study indicated that close proximity to symptomatic cases on long haul airline flights resulted in a small, but measurable, increased risk of infection.
- Yet another airport study found that due to the low sensitivity of screening methods, attempts to identify and isolate infected travelers at ports of entry is unlikely to be an effective containment method.
- Three studies out of Japan found a beneficial effect during the 2009 pandemic by using antiviral drugs and/or school closure (of varying length and timing) to interrupt its transmission.
- Conversely, a fourth study suggested that early school closures could have adversely affected herd immunity in the school environment, with lower cumulative infection rates in schools that delayed closure.
- Additional studies looked at several influenza surveillance methods used in South America during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. One study found that the private healthcare sector in Buenos Aires was better able to provide timely information than was the public sector.
To wrap up their summation, the authors wrote:
Conclusion
Influenza pandemics tend to occur several times per century and can cause extreme mortality (notably the 1918/19 pandemic). Seasonal influenza also accounts for a substantial burden of illness worldwide. Therefore, new research in the wake of the 2009 influenza pandemic is commendable and should continue to be promoted by health research funders and health service providers themselves.
In particular, such research may help countries reflect on the 2009 pandemic experience [4], and then revise their national pandemic plans and upgrade their influenza-related surveillance systems. The high costs associated with developing pandemic vaccines and storing antiviral drugs also highlights the need for new research on the optimal use of these pharmaceuticals – especially given the financial constraints on public health systems around the world.
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