Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use of these NPIs for controlling pandemic influenza and other severe respiratory viral threats.

Severe influenza cases showed a delay in the peripheral immune activation that likely led prolonged inflammation, compared with mild influenza cases.

Measurement of anti-neuraminidase antibodies in addition to anti- hemagglutinin antibodies may be important in capturing the true influenza infection rates.

Background Severe influenza illness is presumed more common in adults with chronic medical conditions (CMCs), but evidence is sparse and often combined into broad CMC categories. Methods Residents (aged 18–80 years) of Central and South Auckland hospitalized for World Health Organization-defined severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) (2012–2015) underwent influenza virus polymerase chain reaction testing. The CMC statuses for Auckland residents were modeled using hospitalization International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes, pharmaceutical claims, and laboratory results. Population-level influenza rates in adults with congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, diabetes mellitus (DM), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) were calculated by Poisson regression stratified by age and adjusted for ethnicity. Results Among 891 276 adults, 2435 influenza-associated SARI hospitalizations occurred. Rates were significantly higher in those with CMCs compared with those without the respective CMC, except for older adults with DM or those aged <65 years with CVA. The largest effects occurred with CHF (incidence rate ratio [IRR] range, 4.84–13.4 across age strata), ESRD (IRR range, 3.30–9.02), CAD (IRR range, 2.77–10.7), and COPD (IRR range, 5.89–8.78) and tapered with age. Conclusions Our findings support the increased risk of severe, laboratory-confirmed influenza disease among adults with specific CMCs compared with those without these conditions.

Stringent nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) such as lockdowns and border closures are not currently recommended for pandemic influenza control. New Zealand used these NPIs to eliminate coronavirus disease 2019 during its first wave. Using multiple surveillance systems, we observed a parallel and unprecedented reduction of influenza and other respiratory viral infections in 2020. This finding supports the use of these NPIs for controlling pandemic influenza and other severe respiratory viral threats.

Background In contrast with respiratory disease caused by influenza, information on the risk of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease among adults with chronic medical conditions (CMCs) is limited. Methods We linked population based surveillance of acute respiratory illness hospitalizations to national administrative data, to estimate seasonal RSV hospitalization rates among adults aged 18-80 years with certain pre-existing CMCs: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, congestive heart failure (CHF), coronary artery disease (CAD), cerebrovascular accidents (CVA), diabetes mellitus (DM), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Age and ethnicity adjusted rates stratified by age group were estimated. Results Among 883,999 adult residents aged 18-80 years, 281 RSV positive hospitalizations were detected during 2012-2015 winter seasons. Across all ages, RSV hospitalization rates were significantly higher among adults with COPD, asthma, CHF, and CAD compared to those without each corresponding condition. RSV hospitalization rates were significantly higher among adults with ESRD aged 50-64 years and adults with DM aged 65-80 years compared to adults in each age group without these conditions. No increased risk was seen for adults with CVA. The CMC with the highest risk of RSV hospitalization was CHF (Incidence Rate Ratio [IRR] range: 4.6-36.5 across age strata) and COPD (IRR range: 9.6-9.7). Among RSV positive adults, CHF and COPD were independently associated with increased length of hospital stay. Conclusions Adults with specific CMCs are at increased risk of RSV hospitalizations. Age affects this relationship for some CMCs. Such populations maybe relevant for future RSV prevention strategies.

Although alterations in T lymphocyte subset distribution and function in the peripheral blood of HIV-infected humans are well defined, the extent to which these reflect changes in other lymphoid compartments is unclear. We have characterized the coincident changes in PBL and lymph nodes (LN)1 after simian immunodeficiency virus of macaques (SIY,.5

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