Abstract
By the beginning of July 2009 the West Midlands had seen more cases of novel H1N1 influenza (swine flu) than any other region in the UK. Over a threeweek period almost 850 people presented to Heartlands Hospital with flu-like symptoms. Of those admitted 52 adults were subsequently confirmed as having H1N1 infection. Most were younger than 30 and not from traditional influenza risk groups. The main risk factor for severe disease was asthma, and to a lesser extent pregnancy and obesity. Seven patients were admitted to intensive care and five developed an acute lung injury requiring prolonged admission. Two patients required extra corporeal membrane oxygenation and one died. Despite increased workload normal clinical services were unaffected. The hospital was not closed to admissions nor was it paralysed by staff absence. With a predicted second wave expected at the end of 2009, efforts to maintain effective community assessment remain crucial.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 534-538 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Clinical Medicine, Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of London |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This work was sponsored by the Check Point Institute for Information Security; by European Union’s Tenth Framework Programme (FP10/2010-2016) under grant agreement 259426 ERC-CaC, by the the Leona M. & Harry B. Helm-sley Charitable Trust; by the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology; by the Israeli Centers of Research Excellence I-CORE program (center 4/11); and by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division in the Framework of ”Science for Peace”.
Keywords
- Diabetes
- H1N1 subtype
- Influenza A virus
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Swine flu
