2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in Saurashtra region, India

Sir,

The previous report on “2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection in Saurashtra region, India” by Chudasama et al is very interesting.[1] In that report (n = 274), they concluded that “delayed referral from general practitioner/physician, duration of antiviral treatment, and presence of coexisting condition (especially pregnancy) were responsible for intensive care or mortality in patients of severe influenza A (H1N1) illness.[1]” Of interest, Chudasama et al. have just reported another article in J Family Med Prim Care (n = 511) and came to a similar conclusion.[2] Although, the second study might confirm the finding in the first report, it seems that it might be a kind of self-plagiarism. It should also be noted that Chudasama et al. also studied the same group of subjects (n = 274) and published the report in Lung India, but concluded differently that “pregnancy is found as a significant (P < 0.05) risk factor for severe disease.[3]” It should be questioned on what the exact conclusion should be and whether these publications are salami publications.