Attitudes of general practitioners (GPs) towards A/H1N1 pandemic vaccination are unknown. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with computer-assisted telephone were willing to accept A/H1N1 pandemic vaccination for themselves. The personal history of seasonal flu vaccination was the strongest independent predictive factor of willingness to accept A/H1N1 pandemic vaccination (P<.0001). GPs rece...

BACKGROUND A substantial recrudescent wave of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 that began in December 2011 is ongoing and has not yet peaked in Mexico, following a 2-year period of sporadic transmission. Mexico previously experienced three pandemic waves of A/H1N1 in 2009, associated with higher excess mortality rates than those reported in other countries, and prompting a large influenza vaccination ...

The influenza A(H1N1) pdm09 outbreak in India caused nearly 30,000 laboratory confirmed cases with more than 1700 deaths by March 15, 2015 1. Most of these cases were reported from the States and Tamil Nadu 2. In response to the upsurge of cases, the Central and State health departments initiated a number of activities including strengthening the surveillance; provision of laboratory support in...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES An outbreak of influenza was investigated between June 24 and July 30, 2009 in a residential school at Panchgani, Maharashtra, India. The objectives were to determine the aetiology, study the clinical features in the affected individuals and, important epidemiological and environmental factors. The nature of public health response and effectiveness of the control measure...

BACKGROUND Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 has posed a serious public health challenge world-wide. In absence of reliable information on severity of the disease, the nations are unable to decide on the appropriate response against this disease. METHODS Based on the results of laboratory investigations, attendance in outpatient department, hospital admissions and mortality from the cases of i...

The cornerstone of Canadian response to the pandemic H1N1 outbreak was the Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan. The Plan was based on a moderate scenario, articulated around 7 pillars: surveillance, antiviral drugs, vaccines, public health measures, clinical care, communications, and research. This presentation provides an overview of Canada's response to pandemic H1N1. It presents the context (Wh...

BACKGROUND The recent emergence of a novel pandemic influenza A(H1N1) strain in humans exemplifies the rapid and unpredictable nature of influenza virus evolution and the need for effective therapeutics and vaccines to control such outbreaks. However, resistance to antivirals can be a formidable problem as evidenced by the currently widespread oseltamivir- and adamantane-resistant seasonal infl...

The His274→Tyr (H274Y) oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance mutation causes a substantial decrease in the total levels of surface-expressed neuraminidase protein and activity in early isolates of human seasonal H1N1 influenza, and in the swine-origin pandemic H1N1. In seasonal H1N1, H274Y only became widespread after the occurrence of secondary mutations that counteracted this decrease. H274Y is cu...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES During an evolving public health crisis, news organizations disseminate information rapidly, much of which is uncertain, dynamic, and difficult to verify. We examine factors related to international news coverage of H1N1 during the first month after the outbreak in late April 2009 and consider the news media's role as an information source during an emerging pandemic. ...

There is worldwide concern on the spreading pandemic wave of the new swine influenza virus (S-OIV). The WHO has placed the pandemic threat alert to level 6. World leaders and scientists importantly stress that regulations and pandemic preparedness may lower the morbidity and mortality. This review describes the background, origin, epidemiology, signs and symptoms, methods of detecting H1N1, the...