Entry screening to delay local transmission of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1)

BMC Infectious Diseases

Research Article

Helen WC Wong¹  Vicky J Fang²  Steven Riley²  Benjamin J Cowling²  Peng Wu²  Lincoln LH Lau²  Hiroshi Nishiura³ 

[1] Imperial College London, London, UK;School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China;Theoretical Epidemiology, University of Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands;PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan;

关键词: Influenza;    Pandemic Influenza;    Local Case;    School Closure;    Additional Delay;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2334-10-82

 received in 2009-11-10, accepted in 2010-03-30,  发布年份 2010

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAfter the WHO issued the global alert for 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), many national health agencies began to screen travelers on entry in airports, ports and border crossings to try to delay local transmission.MethodsWe reviewed entry screening policies adopted by different nations and ascertained dates of official report of the first laboratory-confirmed imported H1N1 case and the first laboratory-confirmed untraceable or 'local' H1N1 case.ResultsImplementation of entry screening policies was associated with on average additional 7-12 day delays in local transmission compared to nations that did not implement entry screening, with lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals consistent with no additional delays and upper bounds extending to 20-30 day additional delays.ConclusionsEntry screening may lead to short-term delays in local transmission of a novel strain of influenza virus. The resources required for implementation should be balanced against the expected benefits of entry screening.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Cowling et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2010