BACKGROUND: Little is known about unintended pregnancy (UIP) risk and current contraceptive use among women aged 45 years and over in the United States (US). OBJECTIVES: To describe the prevalence of women aged 45-50 years at risk for UIP and their current contraceptive use and to compare these findings to those of women in younger age groups. STUDY DESIGN: We analyzed 2006, 2008 and 2010 Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, the only US state to routinely collect contraceptive data from women beyond age 44 years. Women aged 18-50 years (n=4,930) were considered at risk for UIP unless they reported current pregnancy, past hysterectomy, not being sexually active in the past year, having a same sex partner, or wanting to become pregnant. Among women considered at risk (n=3,605), we estimated the prevalence of current contraceptive use by age group. Among women considered at risk and aged 45-50 years (n=940), we examined characteristics associated with current method use. Analyses were conducted on weighted data using SUDAAN. RESULTS: Among women aged 45-50 years, 77.6% were at risk for UIP, which was similar to other age groups. As age increased, hormonal contraceptive use (shots, pills, patch, or ring) decreased, while permanent contraception (tubal ligation or vasectomy) increased as did non-use of contraception. Of women aged 45-50 years at risk for UIP, 66.9% reported using some contraceptive method; permanent contraception was the leading method reported by 44.0% and contraceptive non-use was reported by 16.8%. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of women aged 45-50 years were considered at risk for UIP. Permanent contraception was most commonly used by women in this age group. Compared with other age groups, more women aged 45-50 years were not using any contraception. Population-based surveillance efforts are needed to follow trends among this age group and better meet their family planning needs. Although expanding surveillance systems to include women through age 50 years requires additional resources, fertility trends showing increasingly delayed childbearing, uncertain end of fecundity, and potential adverse consequences of unplanned pregnancy in older age may justify these expenditures.

BACKGROUND: The Emerging Infections Programs (EIP) network has conducted population-based surveillance for hospitalizations due to laboratory-confirmed influenza among children since 2003, with the network expanding in 2005 to include adults. METHODS: From 15 April 2009 through 30 April 2010, the EIP conducted surveillance among 22.1 million people residing in 10 states. Incidence rates per 100,000 population were calculated using US Census Bureau data. Mean historic rates were calculated on the basis of previously published and unpublished EIP data. RESULTS: During the 2009 pandemic of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 infection, rates of hospitalizations due to laboratory-confirmed influenza were 202, 88, 49, 31, 27, 36, 28, and 27 episodes per 100,000 among persons aged <6 months, 6-23 months, 2-4 years, 5-17 years, 18-49 years, 50-64 years, 65-74 years, and ≥75 years, respectively. Comparative mean rates from previous influenza seasons during which EIP conducted surveillance were 153, 53, 20, 6, 4, 8, 20, and 56 episodes per 100,000 among persons aged <6 months, 6-23 months, 2-4 years, 5-17 years, 18-49 years, 50-64 years, 65-74 years, and ≥75 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: During the pandemic, rates of hospitalization due to laboratory-confirmed influenza among individuals aged 5-17 years and 18-49 years increased 5-fold and 6-fold, respectively, compared with mean rates from previous influenza seasons. Hospitalization rates for other pediatric and adult age groups increased, compared with mean rates from previous influenza seasons, whereas the rate among individuals aged ≥75 years decreased.

Ethiopia launched influenza surveillance in November 2008. By October 2010, 176 patients evaluated at 5 sentinel health facilities in Addis Ababa met case definitions for influenza-like illness or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI). Most patients (131 [74%]) were children aged 0-4 years. Twelve patients (7%) were positive for influenza virus. Most patients (109 [93%]) were aged <5 years, of whom only 3 (2.8%) had laboratory-confirmed influenza. Low awareness of influenza by healthcare workers, misperceptions regarding case definitions, and insufficient human resources at sites could have potentially led to many missed cases, resulting in suboptimal surveillance.

BACKGROUND: In 2009, a novel influenza virus (2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus (pH1N1)) caused significant disease in the United States. Most states, including Florida, experienced a large fall wave of disease from September through November, after which disease activity decreased substantially. We determined the prevalence of antibodies due to the pH1N1 virus in Florida after influenza activity had peaked and estimated the proportion of the population infected with pH1N1 virus during the pandemic. METHODS: During November-December 2009, we collected leftover serum from a blood bank, a pediatric children's hospital and a pediatric outpatient clinic in Tampa Bay Florida. Serum was tested for pH1N1 virus antibodies using the hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assay. HI titers ≥40 were considered seropositive. We adjusted seroprevalence results to account for previously established HI assay specificity and sensitivity and employed a simple statistical model to estimate the proportion of seropositivity due to pH1N1 virus infection and vaccination. RESULTS: During the study time period, the overall seroprevalence in Tampa Bay, Florida was 25%, increasing to 30% after adjusting for HI assay sensitivity and specificity. We estimated that 5.9% of the population had vaccine-induced seropositivity while 25% had seropositivity secondary to pH1N1 virus infection. The highest cumulative incidence of pH1N1 virus infection was among children aged 5-17 years (53%) and young adults aged 18-24 years (47%), while adults aged ≥50 years had the lowest cumulative incidence (11-13%) of pH1N1 virus infection. CONCLUSIONS: After the peak of the fall wave of the pandemic, an estimated one quarter of the Tampa Bay population had been infected with the pH1N1 virus. Consistent with epidemiologic trends observed during the pandemic, the highest burdens of disease were among school-aged children and young adults.

Triple-reassortant swine influenza viruses (SIVs), which contain genes from human, swine, and avian influenza A viruses, have been enzootic among swine herds in the United States since the late 1990s. Although uncommon, occasional transmission of triple-reassortant SIVs from swine to humans has occurred. Before April 2009, only limited, nonsustained human-to-human transmission of SIVs had been reported. Although an animal source for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus has yet to be identified, the pandemic strain resulted from the reassortment of 2 different lineages of SIV.

The 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (pH1N1) virus emerged in the United States in April 2009 (1) and has since caused significant morbidity and mortality worldwide (2-6). We compared pandemic influenza A (H1N1) (pH1N1)-associated deaths occurring from 15 April 2009 through 23 January 2010 with seasonal influenza-associated deaths occurring from 1 October 2007 through 14 April 2009, a period during which data collected were most comparable. Among 317 children who died of pH1N1-associated illness, 301 (95%) had a reported medical history. Of those 301, 205 (68%) had a medical condition associated with an increased risk of severe illness from influenza. Children who died of pH1N1-associated illness had a higher median age (9.4 vs 6.2 years; P.01) and longer time from onset of symptoms to death (7 vs 5 days, P.01) compared with children who died of seasonal influenza-associated illness. The majority of pediatric deaths from pH1N1 were in older children with high-risk medical conditions. Vaccination continues to be critical for all children, especially those at increased risk of influenza-related complications.