Hospitalizations for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among Maori and Pacific Islanders, New Zealand

DOI: 10.3201/eid1601.090994
Suggested citation for this article: Verrall A, Norton K, Rooker S, Dee S, Olsen L, Tan CE, et al. Hospitalizations for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Maori and Pacific Islanders, New Zealand. Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Jan; [Epub ahead of print]

Hospitalizations for Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among Maori and Pacific Islanders, New Zealand
Ayesha Verrall, Katherine Norton, Serena Rooker, Stephen Dee, Leeanne Olsen, Chor Ee Tan, Sharon Paull, Richard Allen, and Timothy K. Blackmore
Author affiliations: Capital and Coast District Health Board, Wellington, New Zealand (A. Verrall, K. Norton, S. Rooker, L. Olsen, C.E. Tan, S. Paull, R. Allen, T.K. Blackmore); Hutt Valley District Health Board, Lower Hutt, New Zealand (S. Dee); and University of Otago, Wellington (A. Verrall)

Community transmission of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 was followed by high rates of hospital admissions in the Wellington region of New Zealand, particularly among Maori and Pacific Islanders. These findings may help health authorities anticipate the effects of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in other communities.

Spread of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus coincided with the Southern Hemisphere winter, leading to outbreaks in Australia and New Zealand (NZ) (1). Quantifying the number of admissions and the age, ethnicity, and medical conditions of patients admitted to hospitals in the Wellington region because of acute illness during the first wave of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 provides valuable information to health authorities anticipating the impact of the pandemic in other regions.

The Study
Patients suspected of having influenza and requiring hospital assessment were tested with real-time reverse transcription–PCR by using protocols from the US Centers for Disease Control...

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