title: Nosocomial pandemic (H1N1) 2009, United Kingdom, 2009-2010.
abstract: To determine clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized in the United Kingdom with pandemic (H1N1) 2009, we studied 1,520 patients in 75 National Health Service hospitals. We characterized patients who acquired influenza nosocomially during the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 outbreak. Of 30 patients, 12 (80%) of 15 adults and 14 (93%) of 15 children had serious underlying illnesses. Only 12 (57%) of 21 patients who received antiviral therapy did so within 48 hours after symptom onset, but 53% needed escalated care or mechanical ventilation; 8 (27%) of 30 died. Despite national guidelines and standardized infection control procedures, nosocomial transmission remains a problem when influenza is prevalent. Health care workers should be routinely offered influenza vaccine, and vaccination should be prioritized for all patients at high risk. Staff should remain alert to the possibility of influenza in patients with complex clinical problems and be ready to institute antiviral therapy while awaiting diagnosis during influenza outbreaks.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. joanne.enstone@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Joanne E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Enstone
authors.forename: Puja R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Myles
authors.forename: Peter J M
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Openshaw
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Gadd
authors.forename: Wei Shen
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Malcolm G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Semple
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: Bruce L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McMenamin
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bannister
authors.forename: Karl G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Nguyen-Van-Tam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D017053:Infection Control; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000502:physiology*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058873:Pandemics; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D014611:Vaccination; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents