Impact of Epidemic Influenza A-Like Acute Respiratory Illness in a Remote Jungle Highland Population in Irian Jaya, Indonesia
A suspected epidemic of unknown etiology was investigated in April/May 1996 in the remote jungle highlands of easternmost Indonesia. Trend analysis demonstrates the area-wide occurrence of a major respiratory infection outbreak in November 1995 through February 1996. The monthly mean rate of respira...
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Published in: | Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 880 - 888 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Journal Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Chicago, IL
The University of Chicago Press
01-04-1998
University of Chicago Press |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | A suspected epidemic of unknown etiology was investigated in April/May 1996 in the remote jungle highlands of easternmost Indonesia. Trend analysis demonstrates the area-wide occurrence of a major respiratory infection outbreak in November 1995 through February 1996. The monthly mean rate of respiratory infection episodes for the peak outbreak months (2,477 episodes/100,000 persons) was significantly higher (P < .0001) than for the 34 months leading up to the outbreak (109 episodes/100,000 persons). Notable were the high attack rates, particularly among adults: 202 episodes/1,000 persons aged 20–50 years in one community. Excess morbidity attributed to the outbreak was an estimated 4,338 episodes. The overall case-fatality rate was 15.1% of outbreak cases. Laboratory evidence confirmed the circulation of influenza A/Taiwan/1/86—like viruses in the study population, and high hemagglutination inhibition titer responses were indicative of recent infections. Historical documents from neighboring Papua New Guinea highlight the role of influenza A virus in repeated area outbreaks. |
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Bibliography: | ark:/67375/HXZ-HB31S76V-V Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Andrew L. Corwin, NAMRU-2, Box 3, Unit 8132, APO AP 96520-8132. istex:58D12F427221DBA89E45708D799E06FEF7ECA271 ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 |
ISSN: | 1058-4838 1537-6591 |
DOI: | 10.1086/513917 |