Implementation of community influenza centers and vaccination campaign in protecting healthcare workers and control of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Taipei City, Taiwan

From SARS in 2003 to H1N1 in 2009: lessons learned from Taiwan in preparation for the next pandemic

“…Though H1N1 turned out to be mild, healthcare resources were nevertheless strained. 38 Should an influenza pandemic such as Spanish Flu appear again, or should currently circulating influenzas such as H5N1, H7N9 or MERS become efficient at human to human transmission, we must anticipate unprecedented demands on the healthcare system.…”

“…As a result of the increased attention to HCW influenza vaccination, more than 70% of HCWs in Taiwan received the H1N1 2009 vaccine. 38 This vaccination rate exceeds that of most other countries. 42,43 And yet despite these efforts, Taipei's overall 21% vaccination rate remains insufficient to achieve herd immunity.…”

“…Instead, Taipei established 212 CICs citywide, each equipped with alcohol dispensers, rapid antigen test kits, and government-funded oseltamivir for those who screened positive or who fit the criteria for illness with 2009 pandemic H1N1. 38 Based on the principles of Traffic Control Bundling, CICs provided surge capacity as triaging checkpoints, handling the massive inflow of potential patients that would have otherwise overwhelmed hospitals. This measure not only prevented patients with ILI directly visiting hospitals, it reduced the risk of cross-transmission within hospitals.…”

“…Once activated, CICs contributed to a rapid decline in the 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza infection rate among HCWs. 38 Clearly, however, neither class suspensions nor CICs are sufficient to eradicate an epidemic. At best, they can delay the peak, buying time while pandemic vaccines are developed.…”

Impacts of a mass vaccination campaign against pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza in Taiwan: a time-series regression analysis

“…A recent analysis illustrated that the incidence of pH1N1 infections among health care workers declined markedly after the implementation of the community flu clinics. 37 In this study, the daily RIDT data from the three participating hospitals, located in northern, central, and southern Taiwan, respectively, were analyzed separately because the patterns of the epidemic curves derived from these three hospitals differed slightly according to the spatio-temporal diffusion pattern of the influenza pandemic across the country. 38 The first imported case of pH1N1 was found in northern Taiwan where the population density is the highest, consequently the rate of infection was higher than those of the central and southern areas.…”