Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T07:05:14.552Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Excess mortality from influenza in a large urban population, Rome, Italy, 1956–76*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

G. Ragona ,
G. Giunchi ,
G. Rocchi ,
A. Muzzi  and
A. De Felici
G. Ragona
Affiliation:
Third Medical Clinic, University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
G. Giunchi
Affiliation:
Third Medical Clinic, University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
G. Rocchi
Affiliation:
Third Medical Clinic, University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
A. Muzzi
Affiliation:
Institute of Hygiene, University of Rome
A. De Felici
Affiliation:
Central Laboratory, ‘Lazzaro Spallanzani’ Hospital, Rome
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Influenza activity was studied in the Rome population from 1956 to 1976 by analysis of mortality from respiratory causes and from all causes. During cold weather months, type A influenza virus was associated, as a rule, with epidemic excess deaths at two year intervals while type B virus was prevalent twice during epidemic excess mortality periods. Excess absenteeism from work and virus isolation data were also compared with epidemic excess mortality during four consecutive years. The evidence obtained indicated that influenza virus isolation alone does not represent a reliable index of epidemic influenza activity in this population. The proportion of deaths attributed to respiratory causes consistently increased in every epidemic, the most pronounced increases occurring during large epidemics. The break-down by age of deaths from respiratory causes in the course of two epidemic periods showed that the percentage distribution of deaths was essentially the same as in non-epidemic periods. This evidence indicates that the same factors influencing the age-related distribution of mortality from respiratory causes during non-epidemic periods, probably affect the fatal outcome of influenza during epidemics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 80 , Issue 2 , April 1978 , pp. 249 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

References

REFERENCES

Burk, R. F., Schaffner, W. & Koenig, M. G. (1971). Severe influenza virus pneumonia in the pandemic of 1968–1969. Archives of Internal Medicine 127, 1122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dowdle, W. R., Coleman, M. T. & Gregg, M. B. (1974). Natural history of influenza type A in the United States, 1957–1972. Progress in Medical Virology 17, 91.Google ScholarPubMed
Eickoff, T. C., Sherman, M. S. & Serfling, R. E. (1961). Observations on excess mortality associated with epidemic influenza. Journal of the American Medical Association 176, 776.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farr, W. (1885). In Vital Statistics, p. 330. London: Office of the Sanitary Institute.Google Scholar
Housworth, J. & Langmuir, A. D. (1974). Excess mortality from epidemic influenza, 1957–1966. American Journal of Epidemiology 100, 40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Langmuir, A. D. & Housworth, W. J. (1969). A critical evaluation of influenza surveillance. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 41, 393.Google ScholarPubMed
Marine, W. M., Mcgowan, J. E. & Thomas, J. E. (1976). Influenza detection: a prospective comparison of surveillance methods and analysis of isolates. American Journal of Epidemiology 104, 248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Masterson, J. (1969). Respiratory complications of epidemic influenza. Journal of the Irish Medical Association 62, 37.Google ScholarPubMed
Mulder, J. & Hers, J. F. (1972). Influenza, pp. 58–63 and 239–46. Groningen: WaltersNoordhoff Publishing.Google Scholar
Rocchi, G., Ragona, G., De Felici, A. & Muzzi, A. (1974). Epidemiological evaluation of influenza in Italy, 1956–73. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 50, 401.Google Scholar
Rubin, R. J. & Gregg, M. B. (1975). Influenza surveillance in the United States, 1972–1974. American Journal of Epidemiology 102, 225.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Serfling, R. E. (1963). Methods for current statistical analysis of excess pneumoniainfluenza deaths. Public Health Reports 78, 494.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volpi, A., Ragona, G., Gentile, R., Cervelli, G., De Felici, A. & Muzzi, A. (1976). Reazione di fissazione del complemento, emagglutino-inibizione e neuraminidasi. inibizione nella valutazione siero-epidemiologica di un'epidemia da virus influenzale A. Bolletino dell'Instituto Sieroterapico Milanese 55, 279.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1967). Manual of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries, and Causes of Death, 1955 revision. Geneva, 1957; 1965 revision. Geneva.Google Scholar