Abstract
In March and April 2009, pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza A virus (pH1N1 2009) emerged among residents of and travelers to Mexico, the United States and Canada. During the 2009 pandemic, cases of pH1N1 2009 infection were reported from over 214 countries, with at least 18,449 recorded deaths. In Canada, over 8,500 cases were hospitalized, 16.8% of which required intensive care. A particularly concerning occurrence was the spread of pH1N1 2009 into First Nations communities in Canada. Although Aboriginal peoples constitute only 3.8% of Canada’s population, members of the First Nations were 6.5 times more likely to be admitted to an ICU with pH1N1 2009 influenza than non-First Nations, and had rates of hospitalization nearly triple that of the national cumulative crude rate for all Canadians. We herein provide a succinct review of our current understanding of the risk of influenza among First Nations populations in Canada.
Keywords: Aboriginal populations, First Nations, influenza, pandemic H1N1 2009 influenza, respiratory tract infection
Résumé
En mars et avril 2009, le virus de la grippe pandémique A-H1N1 de 2009 (pH1N1 2009) s’est manifesté chez des résidents du Mexique, des États-Unis et du Canada et chez des voyageurs dans ces pays. Durant la pandémie de 2009, des cas d’infection à pH1N1 2009 ont été déclarés dans plus de 214 pays, avec au moins 18 449 décès enregistrés. Au Canada, plus de 8 500 cas ont été hospitalisés, dont 16,8 % aux soins intensifs. La propagation du virus pH1N1 2009 dans les communautés des Premières nations du Canada a été particulièrement inquiétante. Les Autochtones ne constituent que 3,8 % de la population canadienne, mais les membres des Premières nations étaient 6,5 fois plus susceptibles d’être hospitalisés aux soins intensifs en raison de la grippe pH1N1 2009 que les non-membres des Premières nations, et leurs taux d’hospitalisation étaient près de trois fois supérieurs au taux brut national cumulé pour l’ensemble des Canadiens. Nous présentons une brève analyse de l’état actuel des connaissances sur le risque de grippe dans les populations des Premières nations au Canada.
Motsclés: populations autochtones, Premières nations, grippe humaine, virus A de la grippe sous-type H1N1, infections de l’appareil respiratoire
Footnotes
Conflict of Interest: None to declare.
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