PPE and Oseltamivir Use | CDC EID

EID Journal Home > Volume 16, Number 10–October 2010
Volume 16, Number 10–October 2010
Research
Effectiveness of Personal Protective Equipment and Oseltamivir Prophylaxis during Avian Influenza A (H7N7) Epidemic, the Netherlands, 2003

Dennis E. te Beest Comments to Author, Michiel van Boven, Marian E.H. Bos, Arjan Stegeman, and Marion P.G. Koopmans
Author affiliations: Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands (D.E. te Beest, M.E.H. Bos, A. Stegeman); and National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands (D.E. te Beest, M. van Boven, M.P.G. Koopmans)

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
We analyzed the effectiveness of personal protective equipment and oseltamivir use during the 2003 avian influenza A (H7N7) epidemic in the Netherlands by linking databases containing information about farm visits, human infections, and use of oseltamivir and personal protective equipment. Using a stringent case definition, based on self-reported conjunctivitis combined with a positive hemagglutination-inhibition assay, we found that prophylactic treatment with oseltamivir significantly reduced the risk for infection per farm visit from 0.145 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.078–0.233) to 0.031 (95% CI 0.008–0.073). The protective effect was »79% (95% CI 40%–97%). These results are comparable with the reported effect of prophylactic treatment with oseltamivir on human seasonal influenza. No significant protective effect was found for use of respirators or safety glasses, possibly because of limitations of the data.

Avian influenza A viruses are considered a threat to public health because they may result in new human influenza A strains. Thus, knowledge about preventing human infections with avian influenza viruses is essential. In 2003, a devastating epidemic caused by an avian influenza virus of subtype H7N7 occurred among the poultry sector of the Netherlands (1). During this epidemic, an unexpectedly high number of persons reported illness that appeared to be associated with subtype H7N7 infection after they were exposed to infected poultry (2); 1 veterinarian died of acute respiratory distress syndrome (3). Previous reports have documented transmission between poultry, between humans, and from poultry to humans (1,4–8). In this report, we extend earlier work by analyzing the effect of personal protective measures on poultry-to-human transmission. Specifically, we investigated the effects of use of respirators and safety glasses and the prophylactic use of oseltamivir on the risk for infection during depopulation of infected farms. Our quantitative estimates of the effect of personal protective measures can guide efforts to prevent human infections with avian influenza.

full-text:
PPE and Oseltamivir Use | CDC EID

Suggested Citation for this Article

te Beest DE, van Boven M, Bos MEH, Stegeman A, Koopmans MPG. Effectiveness of personal protective equipment and oseltamivir prophylaxis during avian influenza A (H7N7) epidemic, the Netherlands, 2003. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet] . 2010 Oct [date cited]. http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/16/10/1562.htm

DOI: 10.3201/eid1610.091412

Comments to the Authors

Please use the form below to submit correspondence to the authors or contact them at the following address:

Address for correspondence: Dennis E. te Beest, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands; email: dennis.te.beest@rivm.nl