tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
After the WHO issued the global alert for 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), many national health agencies began to screen travelers on entry in airports, ports and border crossings to try to delay local transmission.
Methods: We reviewed entry screening policies adopted by different nations and ascertained dates of official report of the first laboratory-confirmed imported H1N1 case and the first laboratory-confirmed untraceable or 'local'H1N1 case.
Results: Implementation of entry screening policies was associated with on average additional 7-12 day delays in local transmission compared to nations that did not implement entry screening, with lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals consistent with no additional delays and upper bounds extending to 20-30 day additional delays.
Conclusions: Entry screening may lead to short-term delays in local transmission of a novel strain of influenza virus. The resources required for implementation should be balanced against the expected benefits of entry screening.
Author: Benjamin CowlingLincoln LauPeng WuHelen WongVicky FangSteven RileyHiroshi Nishiura
Credits/Source: BMC Infectious Diseases 2010, 10:82
http://7thspace.com/headlines/33998...ampaign=Feed: 7thspace (7thSpace Interactive)
Methods: We reviewed entry screening policies adopted by different nations and ascertained dates of official report of the first laboratory-confirmed imported H1N1 case and the first laboratory-confirmed untraceable or 'local'H1N1 case.
Results: Implementation of entry screening policies was associated with on average additional 7-12 day delays in local transmission compared to nations that did not implement entry screening, with lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals consistent with no additional delays and upper bounds extending to 20-30 day additional delays.
Conclusions: Entry screening may lead to short-term delays in local transmission of a novel strain of influenza virus. The resources required for implementation should be balanced against the expected benefits of entry screening.
Author: Benjamin CowlingLincoln LauPeng WuHelen WongVicky FangSteven RileyHiroshi Nishiura
Credits/Source: BMC Infectious Diseases 2010, 10:82
http://7thspace.com/headlines/33998...ampaign=Feed: 7thspace (7thSpace Interactive)