May 5 Peak school dismissal day in the spring phase of the pandemic. May 6 CDC distributed updated recommendations for the use of influenza antiviral medicines to provide guidance for clinicians in prescribing antiviral medicines for treatment and prevention chemoprophylaxis of H1N1 influenza. June 11 The World Health Organization WHO declared a pandemic and raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to phase 6, which means the virus was spreading to other parts of the world.
The press conference had 2, participants. Virgin Islands had reported cases of H1N1 infection. By late-June, more than 30 summer camps in the U. CDC released guidance for day and residential camps to reduce spread of influenza. Three H1N1 influenza viruses that were resistant to the antiviral drug, oseltamivir, were detected in three countries. After mid-July, H1N1 influenza activity declined in most countries. July 22 Clinical trials testing the H1N1 flu vaccine began.
Calls were conducted with Secretary Duncan and Sebelius to explain guidance. Press briefings followed. Second wave of H1N1 influenza activity began in the U. August 30 New reporting season for the influenza season began. September 1 More than 1, test kits shipped to domestic and international laboratories in countries since May 1, Data showed deaths with lab-confirmed H1N1 flu in the U.
September 30 U. And if that wave doesn't materialize, you wasted little. This H1N1 virus may be the predominant seasonal flu strain for years to come, so you'll not waste your time or a vaccine dose if you get it now. And of course the preparedness work you do now to collect and respond to lessons learned during the fall wave will be used some day in the future, even if only for the next pandemic.
But it is a serious public health threat, and it's far from over. Expect the unexpected! That's the flu business. This will be the most important road we can take right now.
Continue to review and update your pandemic preparedness plans. You may have little time to do this later this winter. Do not write the H1N1 pandemic obituary yet. In fact, this lull after the second Northern Hemisphere wave is our time to regroup.
If only a limited third wave occurs, your efforts will still be of great value. If a doozy of a third wave occurs, you will have been prescient in your efforts. Grant support for ASP provided by. Become an underwriter». All rights reserved.
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Skip to main content. University of Minnesota. Driven to Discover. Site Search. Staff Mission Contact Us. Making sense of the H1N1 pandemic: What's going on? Filed Under :. Business Preparedness. Dec 14, Share this page:. Just whom do you believe? Three critical questions should be front and center for you, your family, and your organization: Has this pandemic to date been a big deal or has this been a bunch of hype?
Or maybe it's been somewhere in between? Where are we in this pandemic experience? Is it over—or is another big "shoe" about to drop? If it's not over, what should you be doing for yourself and your family to be better prepared, and what should your organization be doing? Big deal or a bunch of hype?
As of November Approximately 9, people have died estimated range, 7, to 13, More than 47 million people have been infected with H1N1 range, 34 million to 67 million Some , persons have been hospitalized range, , to , Of note, this recent analysis captures much of the impact of the second wave of H1N1 that we saw this fall.
Let's provide some perspective behind the 36, figure: Comparing apples to oranges. In that CDC study, only 9, of those estimated annual seasonal deaths are due directly to influenza or secondary bacterial pneumonia. The other deaths are among persons who have influenza and who die of events like heart attacks or strokes. If you want a comparison, think of the guy who has a heart attack while snow blowing his driveway after a large snowstorm and whose death is labeled "storm-related. We all realize that death is inevitable, and, as a public health practitioner, I find that this mad race to eliminate the top 10 causes of death is not always well thought through.
If we were to accomplish such a goal, there would be 10 new leading causes of death, and I'm not so sure some of those would be better than the current ones. But I think we can all agree that "early deaths"—or those that occur well before our elderly years —just shouldn't happen. The way we count influenza mortality, an influenza-related death in an year-old person with advanced Alzheimer disease is the same as the death of a year-old otherwise perfectly healthy pregnant woman.
Both deaths are equally tragic, but any reasonable person would agree they are not equivalent public health outcomes. How can we measure the pandemic impact today? The rate of deaths per age-group varies this way: Number of estimated US deaths per million for influenza pandemics in the last century Year Rate per million population 5, to 7, as of Nov.
In the pandemic , an estimated 70, deaths occurred among million US residents per million. In the pandemic , an estimated 34, deaths occurred among million US residents per million. Like seasonal influenza, many of the deaths in both of these two pandemics occurred in the elderly population. In other words, they were more like "super-seasonal influenza" years. To date, the pandemic has caused: More cases than seasonal influenza.
To date, we know of an estimated 47 million cases of novel H1N1. That's already 16 million more than the estimated 31 million cases that occur during an average seasonal influenza year. We are still ascertaining the level of workplace absenteeism associated with the increased illnesses and the need to find child care as a result of nearly 2, school closings this fall that affected , students, according to the CDC.
More hospitalizations than seasonal influenza. An estimated , hospitalizations to date have been related to H1N1 illness. That number exceeds by 13, the estimated average seasonal influenza year of , hospitalizations. But just look at the numbers: Infection. The committee further recommended that once the demand for vaccine for these target groups had been met at the local level, programs and providers should begin vaccinating everyone from ages 25 through 64 years.
Studies at that time indicated that the risk for infection among people 65 and older was less than the risk for younger age groups so people 65 and older were not initially targeted to receive early doses of vaccine.
However, ACIP noted that as vaccine supply increased and demand for vaccine among younger age groups is being met, programs and providers should also offer vaccination to people over the age of At this time, many states have already opened up vaccination to anyone who wants it and while people 65 and older are still less likely to get sick with H1N1, severe infections and deaths have occurred in every age group, including older people.
CDC is now encouraging those who have been patiently waiting to receive the H1N1 vaccine, including people 65 and older, to get vaccinated depending on local supply. The U.
Food and Drug Administration FDA has approved the use of one dose of vaccine against H1N1 influenza virus for persons 10 years of age and older.
For children who are 6 months through 9 years of age, two doses of the vaccine are recommended. These two doses should be separated by 4 weeks. Infants younger than 6 months of age are too young to get any influenza vaccine.
The recommendation that children younger than 10 years old receive 2 doses of H1N1 vaccine was based on studies of immune response to the vaccine as measured by levels of protective antibodies in the blood.
After 1 dose of vaccine, infants and young children do not make as many antibodies compared with older children and adults who get 1 dose. In addition, effectiveness of seasonal flu vaccine is much less for young children who have never been vaccinated before and only get 1 dose, compared with young children who have never been vaccinated before and get 2 doses.
Persons who have some antibody from previous vaccination or exposure to infection with another related flu strain will have much greater increases in antibody to flu vaccines. Studies that looked at blood samples taken from children before the pandemic indicate that very few children had any measurable immunity against H1N1 prior to the outbreak Therefore, all children younger than 10 should get 2 doses regardless of whether they ever have been given seasonal influenza vaccine.
CDC recommends that the two doses of vaccine against H1N1 influenza virus be separated by 4 weeks. However, if the second dose is separated from the first dose by at least 21 days, the second dose can be considered valid. People who are allergic to eggs might be at risk for allergic reactions from receiving any influenza vaccine.
People who have had any of the following symptoms or experiences should consult with a doctor or other medical professional before considering any influenza vaccination:. Because children with severe asthma are at high risk of serious complications from influenza, a regimen has been developed for giving influenza vaccine to children with severe asthma and egg hypersensitivity. So far this flu season, most flu activity has been caused by the H1N1 virus, which was first identified in April and caused the first flu pandemic in 40 years.
Because many people with influenza illness are not tested for flu or are tested late in their illness, methods have been developed to estimate the numbers of people with influenza illness and with influenza-related complications, including hospitalizations and deaths. CDC estimates that from April to January 16, , approximately 57 million cases of H1N1 occurred in the United States, including , H1N1-related hospitalizations and about 11, deaths.
This data confirms that the H1N1 impacted younger adults and children more than older adults compared to seasonal flu. However, people in all age groups can develop severe illness from either seasonal flu or from H1N1.
The flu season is not over yet. As recently as January 15, 7 states were still reporting regional flu activity, so flu is still out there. Also, seasonal flu typically peaks in February and March and influenza activity can occur as late as May.
So, increased activity from either seasonal flu, H1N1 or both are still possible this season. For example, during the pandemic, flu activity dropped in December and January. Public health officials assumed the worst was over, and stopped encouraging people to get vaccinated. Then flu activity increased abruptly in February and March, and hospitalizations and deaths increased as well. That was an important lesson—even if flu activity dies down in January, as it has this year, the season is not over.
Children who are 9-years old or younger need two doses of vaccine about a month apart. There is enough vaccine for them as well. But it is especially important for certain groups of people to get vaccinated.
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