Influenza update 2018–2019: 100 years after the great pandemic

Mossad, Sherif B.

doi:10.3949/ccjm.85a.18095

Cited by 9 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…Annual vaccination against influenza is considered as the most important strategy to prevent influenza and reduce the burden of this disease. 6 , 12 It is also known to decrease influenza hospitalizations, complications and death. Moreover, high immunization coverage is seen as a strategy for prevention of an influenza pandemic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Association of vaccine awareness and confidence on the influenza vaccination status of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia residents

Hassan

Fabella

Estrella

et al. 2021

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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While the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health has made seasonal influenza vaccination available for several years, there remains a scarcity of vaccination coverage reports outside of the capital city. Understanding factors that affect vaccine uptake is important in developing strategies to improve coverage. This analytic cross-sectional study utilized data from 1377 adult residents randomly selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure from the three administrative sectors of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia. Estimates of influenza vaccine coverage were determined for various demographic groups. Logistic regression was applied to determine the associations among the respondents’ awareness on influenza vaccination services, their confidence on the influenza vaccine efficacy and safety and their vaccination status. The estimated influenza vaccination coverage was 44.15% (95% CI = 41.55; 46.79). The proportion of residents who received the influenza vaccine differed between demographic groups. Al Ahsa residents who were aware that influenza vaccine is available and those who were aware that it is available for free were 2.7 and 6.3 times more likely to be immunized ( p < .001) compared to those who were unaware. Residents who were confident that it is effective in preventing influenza and its complications were 3.6 times more like to be vaccinated while those who were confident that the vaccine is safe were 4.5 times more likely to be immunized ( p < .001). Seasonal influenza coverage in Al Ahsa remains low despite the availability of free immunization in the government health facilities. Awareness about vaccine availability and confidence in vaccine efficacy and safety were important determinants of vaccination status.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among US adults, less than half of the vaccination target has been achieved. 12 , 20 In the Middle East, annual vaccination coverage is similarly low. 21 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association of vaccine awareness and confidence on the influenza vaccination status of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia residents

Hassan

Fabella

Estrella

et al. 2021

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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“…Seasonal influenza viruses (IV) cause yearly infection cycles that tend to peak in the winter in temperate regions and during rainy periods in tropical climates (1). Seasonal IV epidemics create a significant public health burden, with the 2017-to-2018 season resulting in the highest number of deaths since 2010 and >30,000 hospitalizations in the United States alone (2). Seasonal variation in environmental parameters, including relative humidity (RH), has been implicated in the seasonal spread of these viruses (3–5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Persistence of Influenza Viruses Is Dependent upon Virus Type and Host Origin

Kormuth

Lin

Qian

et al. 2019

mSphere

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Highly transmissible influenza viruses (IV) must remain stable and infectious under a wide range of environmental conditions following release from the respiratory tract into the air. Understanding how expelled IV persist in the environment is critical to limiting the spread of these viruses. Little is known about how the stability of different IV in expelled aerosols is impacted by exposure to environmental stressors, such as relative humidity (RH). Given that not all IV are equally capable of efficient airborne transmission in people, we anticipated that not all IV would respond uniformly to ambient RH. Therefore, we have examined the stability of human-pathogenic seasonal and avian IV in suspended aerosols and stationary droplets under a range of RH conditions. H3N2 and influenza B virus (IBV) isolates are resistant to RH-dependent decay in aerosols in the presence of human airway surface liquid, but we observed strain-dependent variations in the longevities of H1N1, H3N2, and IBV in droplets. Surprisingly, low-pathogenicity avian influenza H6N1 and H9N2 viruses, which cause sporadic infections in humans but are unable to transmit person to person, demonstrated a trend toward increased sensitivity at midrange to high-range RH. Taken together, our observations suggest that the levels of vulnerability to decay at midrange RH differ with virus type and host origin. IMPORTANCE The rapid spread of influenza viruses (IV) from person to person during seasonal epidemics causes acute respiratory infections that can lead to hospitalizations and life-threatening illness. Atmospheric conditions such as relative humidity (RH) can impact the viability of IV released into the air. To understand how different IV are affected by their environment, we compared the levels of stability of human-pathogenic seasonal and avian IV under a range of RH conditions and found that highly transmissible seasonal IV were less sensitive to decay under midrange RH conditions in droplets. We observed that certain RH conditions can support the persistence of infectious viruses on surfaces and in the air for extended periods of time. Together, our findings will facilitate understanding of factors affecting the persistence and spread of IV in our environment.

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“…This may be because historically, the need to study this has been limited, given that very few pandemics requiring the mask use have been reported. Accordingly, there is limited literature on prolonged mask use, making it difficult to implement RCTs (63)(64)(65)(66). A non-RCT reported that masks, especially N95 respirators, affected air intake, thereby decreasing the respiratory efficiency and increasing the respiratory burden (61), and this may affect normal life and even be life threatening for vulnerable populations, such as children, pregnant women, the elderly population, and individuals with chronic diseases or those performing highintensity exercise.…”

Section: Summary Of Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wearing masks to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses: a systematic evidence mapping

Li¹,

Wei²,

Zhang³

et al. 2021

Ann Transl Med

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Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease in 2019, the controversy over the effectiveness, safety, and enforceability of masks used by the public has been prominent. This study aims to identify, describe, and organize the currently available high-quality design evidence concerning mask use during the spread of respiratory viruses and find evidence gaps. Databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), clinical trial registry, gray literature database, and reference lists of articles were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews (SRs) in April 2020. The quality of the studies was assessed using the risk of bias tool recommended by the Cochrane Handbook Version 5.1.0 and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2) tool. A bubble plot was designed to display information in four dimensions. Finally, twenty-one RCTs and nine SRs met our inclusion criteria. Most studies were of "Low quality" and focused on healthcare workers. Six RCTs reported adverse effects, with one implying that the cloth masks reuse may increase the infection risk. When comparing masks with usual practice, over 70% RCTs and also SRs showed that masks were "beneficial" or "probably beneficial"; however, when comparing N95 respirators with medical masks, 75% of SRs showed "no effect", whereas 50% of RCTs showed "beneficial effect". Overall, the current evidence provided by high-quality designs may be insufficient to deal with a second impact of the pandemic. Masks may be effective in interrupting or reducing the spread of respiratory viruses; however, the effect of an N95 respirator or cloth masks versus medical masks is unclear. Additional high-quality studies determining the impact of prolonged mask use on vulnerable populations (such as children and pregnant women), the possible adverse effects (such as skin allergies and shortness of breath) and optimal settings and exposure circumstances for populations to use masks are needed.

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Influenza update 2018–2019: 100 years after the great pandemic

Cited by 9 publications

References 61 publications

Association of vaccine awareness and confidence on the influenza vaccination status of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia residents

Association of vaccine awareness and confidence on the influenza vaccination status of Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia residents

Environmental Persistence of Influenza Viruses Is Dependent upon Virus Type and Host Origin

Wearing masks to reduce the spread of respiratory viruses: a systematic evidence mapping

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