Comparative community burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic influenza: results of the Flu Watch cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Assessment of the effect of influenza on populations, including risk of infection, illness if infected, illness severity, and consultation rates, is essential to inform future control and prevention. We aimed to compare the community burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic influenza across different age groups and study years and gain insight into the extent to which traditional surveillance underestimates this burden.

Methods

Using preseason and postseason serology, weekly illness reporting, and RT-PCR identification of influenza from nasal swabs, we tracked the course of seasonal and pandemic influenza over five successive cohorts (England 2006-11; 5448 person-seasons' follow-up). We compared burden and severity of seasonal and pandemic strains. We weighted

SUBMITTER: Hayward AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7164821 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature