Monitor the 2009-H1N1 Influenza Outbreak

The novel H1N1 outbreak has clearly been taxing the health care system and health care providers, especially on the outpatient side. Although we have been preparing for such an event for years, several logistical problems have emerged. One is a shortage of N95 masks, a required piece of personal protective equipment when caring for hospitalized patients with pandemic influenza. Another is a shortage of staff, as personnel with suspected or confirmed infection must stay home.

We are anticipating that a vaccine against the 2009-H1N1 virus could be available by September or October. It's likely going to require two shots, in addition to the standard seasonal influenza shot. This might be a hard sell to vaccine-hesitant parents under usual circumstances, but it is too soon to tell what the reception will be like in the context of the current outbreak.

Public health officials are hoping transmission of the virus will decrease naturally with the end of the school year. However, resurgence of the 2009-H1N1 disease in the fall is a possibility that we need to be prepared for, particularly if new mutations increase its virulence.