Children Hospitalized for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 | CDC EID

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Volume 17, Number 4–April 2011
Dispatch
Characteristics of Children Hospitalized for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Malaysia
Hussain Imam Muhammad Ismail, Kah Kee Tan, Yin Leng Lee, Wilson S.C. Pau, Kamarul A.M. Razali, Thahira Mohamed, Tassha Adnan, Premaa Subramaniam, and Jamaiyah Hanif

Author affiliations: Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (H.I.M. Ismail, K.A.M. Razali, T. Mohamed); Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia (K.K. Tan, W.S.C. Pau); and Ministry of Health Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (Y.L. Lee, T. Adnan, P. Subramaniam, J. Hanif)

Suggested citation for this article

Abstract
To determine effects of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 on children in the tropics, we examined characteristics of children hospitalized for this disease in Malaysia. Of 1,362 children, 51 (3.7%) died, 46 of whom were in an intensive care unit. Although disease was usually mild, >1 concurrent conditions were associated with higher death rates.

Transmission of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres has been well documented (1–12). These reports described a relatively mild and self-limited clinical illness for most cases. However, data on disease prevalence and severity in children in the tropics are scarce. Malaysia has 132 public and 214 private hospitals. We examined the demographics, clinical presentation, and outcomes of children hospitalized for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in 68 Ministry of Health–affiliated public hospitals in Malaysia that offered pediatric services. These 68 hospitals provide 3,757 beds for children and 101 beds in pediatric intensive care units; each year they serve ≈7,898,700 children <12 years of age. During the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 containment phase, May–July 2009, the Ministry of Health mandated that all patients with influenza-like illness (ILI) be admitted to government (public) hospitals for observation and management. During the mitigation phase from August 2009 on, only patients with moderate to severe cases of ILI were hospitalized (13). Influenza vaccine is used in the private sector only, and during the study period, only health care workers were vaccinated against pandemic (H1N1) 2009. FULL-TEXT: Children Hospitalized for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 | CDC EID


Suggested Citation for this Article
Ismail HIM, Tan KK, Lee YL, Pau WSC, Razali KAM, Mohamed T, et al. Characteristics of children hospitalized for pandemic (H1N1) 2009, Malaysia. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 2011 Apr [date cited].
http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/17/4/708.htm


DOI: 10.3201/eid1704101212


Comments to the Authors
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Kah Kee Tan, Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Tuanku Ja'afar, Seremban, Malaysia; email: kktalk@gmail.com