Pre- and post-pandemic prevalence of antibodies to the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in Austrian adults.

Antibody prevalence to the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus was determined in a sample of the Austrian population to assess the post-pandemic seropositivity rate, the infection attack rate, and the proportion of subclinical infections during the 2009/2010 influenza pandemic in Austrian adults. A total of 480 sera from individuals aged between 18 and 57 years from all nine federal states of Austria were collected between April and June 2010. Information on demographic characteristics, vaccination history, and history of suspected or verified influenza virus infection was ascertained. Antibodies were determined using a commercial ELISA and compared with 80 age-matched adult sera collected before the pandemic began. The overall seropositivity rate was 28% and was highest among young adults aged 18-29 years, followed by adults aged 50-57 years. Among seropositive unvaccinated individuals, infection was asymptomatic in more than 80%. Extrapolation to the overall Austrian adult population indicates that more than 1.3 million persons aged 18-57 years became infected in 2009. Compared with the pre-pandemic seropositivity rate, the infection rate was highest among young adults but low in those aged 30-57 years. Among 69 individuals previously vaccinated with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus, 71% had specific antibodies. The study demonstrates that infection rates based on surveillance of clinical cases considerably underestimated the infection attack rate during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic in Austria and that vaccination against this virus elicited long-lasting seropositivity in more than 70% of adults.

Clinical aspects of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection in Austria.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features, risk factors for severe disease and effectiveness of oseltamivir in patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infection. METHODS: In a prospective, cross-sectional, multicentre study, data on 540 patients with confirmed 2009 H1N1 infection from seven Austrian hospitals were collected using a standardised online case-history form. RESULTS: The median age of the patients was 19.3 years (range 26 days-90.8 years); point-of-care testing yielded false-negative results in 60.2% of the 176 cases tested. The most common symptoms were fever, cough, fatigue and headache. Overall, 343 patients (63.5%) were hospitalised, 49 (9.1%) were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) and 14 (4.1%) died. Case fatality rates were highest (9.1%) in those aged 65 years or older. Factors significantly associated with a higher risk for ICU admission included age, neurological disease, adipositas, and both interstitial pathology and lobular pathology on chest X-ray. No association with pregnancy, malignancy or immunosuppressive therapy was detected. Antiviral treatment significantly reduced the duration of fever by 0.66 days and lowered the risk of ICU admission, but had no significant benefit on survival. CONCLUSIONS: During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, elderly or obese patients and those with neurological disease had an increased risk for severe H1N1 infection in Austria. Pregnancy was not associated with a higher risk for severe disease in the later phase of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Antiviral treatment provided a minimal effect on the symptoms of influenza but reduced the risk of admission to an ICU.