title: Tracking the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus in the Italian region Campania.
abstract: A novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus affecting humans was detected in April 2009 in Mexico, Canada, and USA. The S-OIV infection caused a mild to severe febrile respiratory disease throughout the world. Here, we briefly review the main features of influenza A viruses, which caused also other pandemics in the past, and focus in particular on the epidemiology data of the H1N1 influenza in the Italian region Campania, which resulted the most affected by the S-OIV and the one with more lethal cases. In Campania, the peak of influenza preceded of about 2 weeks the incidence peak at the national level. Moreover, the percentage of H1N1-positive patients was much higher in the main town Naples, compared to the other Campania provinces. The age group from 7 months to 17 years was the most affected by the H1N1 infection (43.45%), similarly to what reported at the national level. Here, we discuss the possible reasons of the high H1N1 incidence in Campania and the implications that these findings could have on the future prevention campaigns.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Virology, D. Cotugno Hospital, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: Antimo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Spirito
authors.forename: Nunzia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cuomo
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Di Nicuolo
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flaminio
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Altamura
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ambrosino
authors.forename: Federich
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cantalupo
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pentimalli
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tarro
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000821:virology*; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D058873:Pandemics