2009 H1N1 Influenza: A Twenty-First Century Pandemic With Roots in the Early Twentieth Century

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Monica Farley, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2010-09-01
• Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2010 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc.
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181e937b0
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: AMERICAN JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL SCIENCES
• Volume: 340
• Issue: 3
• Start Page: 202
• End Page: 208
• Grant/Funding Information: This study was supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Georgia Emerging Infections Program
• Keywords: Medicine, General & Internal; A(H1N1) INFECTION; NONPHARMACEUTICAL INTERVENTIONS; VIRUS-INFECTION; Influenza; Swine-origin; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; HEALTH-CARE WORKERS; H1N1; SWINE; EMERGENCE; General & Internal Medicine; RAPID-TEST SENSITIVITY; Pandemic; OUTBREAK; Hemagglutinin; BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA; UNITED-STATES; Science & Technology
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Virology

Abstract

A swine-origin H1N1 triple-reassortant influenza A virus found to be a distant relative of the 1918 "Spanish flu" virus emerged in April 2009 to give rise to the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. Although disease was generally mild and similar to seasonal influenza, severe manifestations including respiratory failure were noted in some, particularly those with underlying conditions such as asthma, pregnancy and immunosuppression. Children and younger adults accounted for most cases, hospitalizations and deaths. A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction assay was superior to antigenbased rapid tests for diagnosis. All 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza strains were susceptible to 1 or more neuraminidase inhibitors. Monovalent, unadjuvanted 2009 H1N1 vaccines were licensed in the United States in September 2009 and initially targeted to younger individuals, pregnant women, caretakers of infants and healthcare providers. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic highlights the need for modernization of influenza vaccines, improved diagnostics and more rigorous evaluation of mitigation strategies. © 2010 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.