Viboud C, Tam T, Fleming D, Handel A, Miller MA, S. Transmissibility and mortality impact of epidemic and pandemic influenza, with emphasis on the unusually deadly 1951 epidemic. Vaccine. 2006 Jun 9; [Epub ahead of print]
There are important gaps in our current understanding of the influenza virus behavior. In particular, it remains unclear why some inter-pandemic seasons are associated with unusually high mortality impact, sometimes comparable to that of pandemics. Here we compare the epidemiological patterns of the unusually deadly 1951 influenza epidemic (A/H1N1) in England and Wales and Canada with those of surrounding epidemic and pandemic seasons, in terms of overall mortality impact and transmissibility. Based on the statistical and mathematical analysis of vital statistics and morbidity epidemic curves in these two countries, we show that the 1951 epidemic was associated with both higher mortality impact and higher transmissibility than the 1957 and 1968 pandemics. Surprisingly in Liverpool, considered the ´epicenter´ of the severe 1951 epidemic, the mortality impact and transmissibility even surpassed the 1918 pandemic.
See Also:
Latest articles in those days:
- [preprint]Major change in swine influenza virus diversity in France owing to emergence and widespread dissemination of a newly introduced H1N2 1C genotype in 2020 21 hours ago
- Coastal connectivity of marine predators over the Patagonian Shelf during the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak 22 hours ago
- Strain-dependent variations in replication of European clade 2.3.4.4b influenza A(H5N1) viruses in bovine cells and thermal inactivation in semi-skimmed or whole milk 22 hours ago
- Natural and Experimental Persistence of Highly Pathogenic H5 Influenza Viruses in Slurry of Domestic Ducks, with or without Lime Treatment 2 days ago
- Exploring surface water as a transmission medium of avian influenza viruses - systematic infection studies in mallards 2 days ago
[Go Top] [Close Window]