Severe acute respiratory infections during the influenza A

Introduction In September 2009, as part of the surveillance during the Influenza A(2009) pandemic, Bel-gium introduced a web-based surveillance system aimed at recording hospitalisations and deaths attributable to Influenza in real time. Methods We present the web-based application developed for the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of public health = Archives belges de santé publique 2010-09, Vol.68, p.87
Main Authors: Litzroth, A, Mertens, K, Hammadi, S, Wuillaume, F, Gutiérrez, I
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Complications and side effects
Development and progression
Diagnosis
Health aspects
Respiratory tract infections
Risk factors
Swine influenza
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Summary:Introduction In September 2009, as part of the surveillance during the Influenza A(2009) pandemic, Bel-gium introduced a web-based surveillance system aimed at recording hospitalisations and deaths attributable to Influenza in real time. Methods We present the web-based application developed for the pandemic as well as a descriptive analysis of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases reported through this system. Results From 1 September to 31 December 2009, 1723 SARI-related hospitalisations potentially due to influenza were reported in Belgium. The median age of the patients was 29 years (range: [less than] 1 year-99 years). Among SARI-hospitalised patients 68% were aged less than 45 years, 10.6% were vaccinated with the seasonal influenza vaccine and 7.5% with the pandemic influenza vaccine. No deaths were recorded. Conclusions This first experience showed the feasibility of getting real-time information from hospitals during a public health crisis. However, the absence of death detected through the system highlighted the importance of better defining the severity of the hospital cases.
ISSN:0778-7367