Editorial

Commentary on “Experience with Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Influenza in a Large Pediatric Hospital”

Authors: Robert F. Perry, MD

Abstract

With the 2011–2012 influenza season in full swing, lessons learned from the 2009 H1N1influenza pandemic provide insight into effective treatment strategies for preventing the occurrence of influenza and for controlling morbidity and mortality rates in groups identified as being at high risk for infection and severe complications, especially children. The H1N1 strain of influenza A first appeared in spring 2009. It rapidly spread worldwide and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on June 11, 2009.1 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, H1N1 affected 61 million Americans, accounting for 274,000 hospitalizations and 12,500 deaths and disproportionally affecting children.2,3 In April 2009, a multiagency task force marshaled an emergency response to develop a vaccine against H1N1. In August 2009, the vaccine was administered to human subjects without adverse effects and was approved for use in the general population by September 2009.4,5 An aggressive government-sponsored media campaign was instituted that resulted in approximately 81 million immunizations by early 2010.6 The pandemic was declared expired by the WHO on August 10, 2010.6

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