Behavior of Adult Influenza Patients during the 2009 Pandemic after Outpatient Clinic Presentations at a Hospital in Tokyo, Japan

• Published in: Tropical Medicine and Health Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 83 - 85
• Main Authors: Nonaka, Daisuke, Morikawa, Hirohisa, Arioka, Hiroko, Kobayashi, Jun, Shoda, Ryosuke, Mizoue, Tetsuya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine 2011; The Japanese Society of Tropical Medicine
• Subjects: behavior; disease outbreaks; Fever; health policy; Hospitals; influenza; Influenza A; pandemics; patient; Short Communication; influenza; disease outbreaks; health policy; behavior; patient
• ISSN: 1348-8945; 1349-4147; 1349-4147
• DOI: 10.2149/tmh.2011-09

The 2009 pandemic of novel swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) highlighted the importance of community mitigation measures such as voluntary isolation. During the pandemic, we investigated the voluntary isolation behavior of patients with influenza during the 7-day period after they visited an outpatient clinic at a hospital in Tokyo, Japan. A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on patients diagnosed with influenza. Of a total of 14 patients, 13 (93%) visited a workplace, school or other potentially crowded setting at least once in the 7-day period after presentation. Five patients (36%) visited a potentially crowded setting either with a fever or on the day after having a fever. The voluntary isolation behavior of Japanese people with influenza did not necessarily adhere to the Japanese government recommendation that people with influenza-like illness stay home for 7 days following the onset of symptoms.