Abstract
The flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, termed Pandemic H1N1/09 virus by the World Health Organization (WHO), which was first identified in April 2009. The disease has also been termed novel Influenza A(H1N1) and 2009 H1N1 flu by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and is commonly known as swine flu. The main strain of the virus has been termed A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) by scientists. This study was conducted to describe the epidemiology of influenza A(H1N1) infections in KSA during 2009. A descriptive study was carried out among attendants at hospitals and primary health care centers in Makkah during 2009, irrespective of age and sex. The data were collected by interviewing suspected persons using a pre-designed questionnaire, clinical examination, and specific laboratory investigation. A total of 1138 subjects were included in the study. Among the study population, 25% of the cases between 15 and 24 years old were found positive for influenza A(H1N1) by PCR technique. Although a significant population was affected by influenza A(H1N1) during 2009 in Makkah, the efforts and steps taken by health authorities at all levels―especially those in Directorate of Health Affairs of Makkah—helped to avert the mortality associated with the H1N1 influenza among the residents and those coming for Umrah and Hajj to Makkah by providing and timely diagnosis.
Highlights
A swine origin influenza A virus epidemic was initiated in April 2009 with the first cases appearing in MexicoHow to cite this paper: Khdary, N.H., Alalem, M.A., Turkistan, A.M. and Alghamdi, S.S. (2014) An Epidemiological Study on Influenza A(H1N1) in Makkah
This study was conducted to describe the epidemiology of influenza A(H1N1) infections in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) among residents, citizens, and students in Makkah city during 2009
The majority of A(H1N1) isolates in 1984 and 1985 resembled the A/Chile/1/83 strain, and subsequently this antigen was included in the trivalent influenza vaccines for the 1984-1985, 1985-1986, and 1986-1987 influenza seasons [24]-[26]
Summary
A swine origin influenza A virus epidemic was initiated in April 2009 with the first cases appearing in MexicoHow to cite this paper: Khdary, N.H., Alalem, M.A., Turkistan, A.M. and Alghamdi, S.S. (2014) An Epidemiological Study on Influenza A(H1N1) in Makkah. A swine origin influenza A virus epidemic was initiated in April 2009 with the first cases appearing in Mexico. The virus acquired rapid transmissibility and pandemic potential with more than 340,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and more than 4100 deaths reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) as at September 27, 2009. The outbreak was first observed in Mexico, with evidence that there had been an ongoing epidemic for months before it was officially recognized [2]. The Mexican government soon closed most of Mexico City’s public and private offices and facilities to contain the spread of the virus. As the virus quickly spread globally, clinics were overwhelmed by testing and treating patients, and the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) eventually stopped counting all cases and focused instead on tracking major outbreaks. On June 11, 2009, the WHO declared the outbreak to be a pandemic [3]
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