Rückblick: Epidemiologie und Infektionsschutz im zeitlichen Verlauf der Influenzapandemie (H1N1) 2009

Abstract

On April 21, 2009, for the first time the isolation of a new variant of the influenza virus A(H1N1) taken from two patients in California was reported (CDC 2009). The newly isolated virus was a reassortant from four different "mother" strains: North American swine, Eurasian swine, avian and human influenza. Soon it became clear that this virus would cause the first pandemic of the 21st century. On March 22 and 23, 2010 the Robert Koch Institute had invited 85 participants to evaluate the experiences made during this pandemic. The report of this first evaluation was published in the Bundesgesundheitsblatt (Krause G, Gilsdorf A, Becker J et al. 2010). A second, complementing report published in the Epidemiologisches Bulletin 21/2010 had the goal to give an overview of the chronology of the epidemiology as well as the public health strategies chosen. In addition, it aimed to show which detail in regard to (international) epidemiological knowledge was known at the time (RKI 2010). This UMID publication reproduces the latter report in a shortened version.