title: The characteristics of imported cases and the effectiveness of outbreak control strategies of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in China.
abstract: The aim of this article was to describe the epidemiological characteristics of imported cases of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) and to assess the effectiveness of public health intervention measures in Beijing, China. Data on imported cases were collected via border entry screening, influenza-like illness screening in hospitals, medical follow-up of travelers from overseas, and quarantined close contacts. The characteristics of these cases were investigated. Pharyngeal swabs were collected and tested using polymerase chain reaction. A total of 609 imported cases were confirmed in Beijing from May 16 to September 30, 2009. Subjects aged <20 years accounted for 47.3%, and females represented 49.1%. Most cases were from North America and South America (27.3%). There were 21.8%, 18.7%, 3.1%, and 56.3% of cases detected separately via border entry screening, quarantined close contacts, medical follow-up of travelers from overseas, and influenza-like illness screening in hospitals, respectively. The 4 strategies were able to detect the cases efficiently but the use of resources was high.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) and Capital Medical University School of Public Health and Family Medicine (CMU SPHFM), China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Surabhi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liyanage
authors.forename: Holly
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Seale
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Xinghuo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Baiwei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Quanyi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D016358:Contact Tracing; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D058873:Pandemics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010614:Pharynx / Q000821:virology; D062486:Public Health Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D011790:Quarantine; D014195:Travel; D055815:Young Adult