Nickel CH, Stephan FP, Dangel M, Blume K, Gehrisch R, Dumoulin A, Tschudin S, Keller DI, Hirsch HH, Widmer AF, Bingisser R
First wave of the influenza A/H1N1v pandemic in Switzerland. [JOURNAL ARTICLE]
Swiss Med Wkly 2009 Nov 16.
AIM: To describe the disease burden, clinical pattern and outcome of Influenza-related presentations in a Swiss Emergency Department (ED) during the first wave of the 2009 pandemic.
METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data at the University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland. All patients presenting to the ED with influenza-like symptoms from June 1st to October 23rd 2009 were studied. Rate of hospitalisation, demographic characteristics, symptoms, microbiological diagnoses and complications of influenza infection were analysed.
RESULTS: One tenth (808 of 8356 patients) of all non-trauma ED presentations during the study period were a result of suspected influenza-related illness. Influenza A/H1N1v-infection accounted for 5% of these presentations. Patients 50 years or less accounted for 87% of these presentations and for 100% of A/H1N1v-infection. The highest detection rate of A/H1N1v-infection occurred in July, and the highest rate of clinical presentations in August 2009. Underlying medical disease was observed in 14% of all patients. The presence of fever, cough and myalgia was the prime clinical predictor for presence of A/H1N1v-infection. Patients with this triad suffered from A/H1N1v in 16%.
CONCLUSION: Suspected A/H1N1v-infection contributed to considerable health-care burden in Switzerland. However, the rate of true positivity was low (5%), hospitalisations rare (5%), and mortality did not occur. Therefore, the first wave of the A/H1N1v-pandemic in Switzerland was rather media "hype" than real threat.
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