Case-control Study of Pandemic A/H1N1 Influenza Risk Factors In Lebanon

The pandemic A/H1N1 virus was named "swine flu" when the current outbreak started. Although it is not yet confirmed that the index case acquired the virus from pigs, the nomenclature "swine flu" was due to the fact that the virus is triple-reassortant with genes from swine, avian, and human influenza origins. A total of 57,809 cases were reported in the WHO EMRO region, 693 of whom have died (1.2% case fatality). Lebanon had 1,838 confirmed cases with 5 deaths, it is estimated that 4% of these cases required hospitalization. Most cases of pandemic influenza presented with fever, cough, and sore throat. Other common symptoms included myalgia, headache, and rhinorrhea. The pandemic A/H1N1 virus appears to be very successful at human-to-human transmission. It is also causing infections beyond the traditional seasonal variation of previous human influenza viruses. Unlike seasonal influenza viruses that usually cause severe infections requiring hospitalization among the elderly and children under 5 years old, the pandemic A/H1N1 viruses are causing more severe illness among young adults. Several reports have associated certain underlying conditions with severe illness. Such conditions were pregnancy, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.