Spanish influenza in Japanese armed forces, 1918-1920.
With the recent outbreaks of avian influenza A (H5N1), the risk for the next influenza pandemic has increased. For effective countermeasures against the next pandemic, investigation of past pandemics is necessary. We selected cases diagnosed as influenza from medical records and hospitalization registries of Japanese army hospitals during 1918-1920, the Spanish influenza era, and investigated clinical features and circumstances of outbreaks. Admission lists showed a sudden increase in the number of inpatients with influenza in November 1918 and showed the effect of the first wave of this pandemic in Tokyo. The death rate was high (6%-8%) even though patients were otherwise healthy male adults.
Kawana
Akihiko
A
International Medical Center of Japan, Tokyo, Japan. akawana@imcj.hosp.go.jp
Naka
Go
G
Fujikura
Yuji
Y
Kato
Yasuyuki
Y
Mizuno
Yasutaka
Y
Kondo
Tatsuya
T
Kudo
Koichiro
K
D000328:Adult; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006772:Hospitals, Military; D006801:Humans; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000266:history* / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000266:history*; D012042:Registries; D014041:Tokyo / Q000453:epidemiology