The 1918 influenza pandemic in New York City: age-specific timing, mortality, and transmission dynamics.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The 1918 influenza pandemic caused disproportionately high mortality among certain age groups. The mechanisms underlying these differences are not fully understood.

Objectives

To explore the dynamics of the 1918 pandemic and to identify potential age-specific transmission patterns.

Methods

We examined 1915-1923 daily mortality data in New York City (NYC) and estimated the outbreak duration and initial effective reproductive number (Re ) for each 1-year age cohort.

Results

Four pandemic waves occurred from February 1918 to April 1920. The fractional mortality increase (i.e. ratio of excess mortality to baseline mortality) was highest among teenagers during the first wave. This peak shifted to 25- to 29-year-olds in subsequent waves. The distribution o

SUBMITTER: Yang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4082668 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature