Description of cases of influenza H1N1 virus infection in a tertiary institution in Bogotá, Colombia

Background: During the spring of 2009, a novel influenza A (H1N1) virus caused human infection and acute respiratory illness in Mexico and rapidly spreading to all world causing a attack rate of overall infection at 11% and a overall case fatality rate less than0.5%.

Objective: Describe the behavior of influenza H1N1 virus infection in a tertiary institution in Bogotá, Colombia

Methods: Since the alarm influenza H1N1virus epidemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in a tertiary institution in Bogotá, Colombia was carried out an surveillance for cases of infection with this virus, including those acquired by health workers . All patients with suspected or probable cases of influenza A (H1N1) virus  requiring hospitalization are performed viral RNA detection for real-time-reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay

Results: We identified from June 2009 to August 2010, 511 cases patients with suspected and probable cases of infection with influenza H1N1, of whom 63 (12%) were confirmed by RT-PCR, 78% of patients confirmed had less than 44 years, 43% of cases were women, 96% of cases were identified in the emergency department, 3% in ICU and 1% in obstetrics and gynecology service, in addition 15% of the population had some kind of concomitant disease, all patients received oseltamivir management and 9.5% (n = 6) died during hospitalization.
During the same time period evaluated, we identified 324 health workers with suspected H1N1 influenza infection, and only five (1.5%) had confirmed infection.

 Conclusions: The epidemiological characteristics of the population reported with influenza H1N1 virus infection in a tertiary institution in Bogota, Colombia are similar to those reported in the literature, except for the high mortality in the hospitalized population, which could be secondary to comorbilities and delayed seeking of or access to care