Every year influenza A epidemics cause numerous deaths and millions of hospitalizations, but the most important effects are generally seen when new viral strains emerge from different species. In April 2009, for the first time in 41 years, a novel type of influenza A virus acquired the capacity for human-to-human transmission and caused a pandemic. This virus, ‘pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1)virus’, was derived from swine A (H1N1), which was a recombination of avian, human, and several swine influenza viruses [1]. Overall, the 2009 pandemic flu has been considered mild. In fact, most cases caused by the 2009 H1N1 virus were acute and self-limited, with the highest attack rates reported, as expected, among children and young adults. The relative sparing of adults is presumably due to the exposure of aged persons to antigenetically related influenza viruses earlier in life, resulting in the development of cross-protective antibodies [2]. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 59 million people were infected from April 2009 to mid- February 2010 in the United States; of these, about 265 000 were hospitalized and 12 000 died with an overall case fatality rate of 0.0203% [3].
Prevention and treatment of pandemic influenza in cancer patients.
FRANCISCI, Daniela;Roila, Fausto
2010
Abstract
Every year influenza A epidemics cause numerous deaths and millions of hospitalizations, but the most important effects are generally seen when new viral strains emerge from different species. In April 2009, for the first time in 41 years, a novel type of influenza A virus acquired the capacity for human-to-human transmission and caused a pandemic. This virus, ‘pandemic 2009 influenza A (H1N1)virus’, was derived from swine A (H1N1), which was a recombination of avian, human, and several swine influenza viruses [1]. Overall, the 2009 pandemic flu has been considered mild. In fact, most cases caused by the 2009 H1N1 virus were acute and self-limited, with the highest attack rates reported, as expected, among children and young adults. The relative sparing of adults is presumably due to the exposure of aged persons to antigenetically related influenza viruses earlier in life, resulting in the development of cross-protective antibodies [2]. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 59 million people were infected from April 2009 to mid- February 2010 in the United States; of these, about 265 000 were hospitalized and 12 000 died with an overall case fatality rate of 0.0203% [3].I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
