Respiratory viral infections in institutions from late stage of the first and second waves of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009, Ontario, Canada

Abstract

We report the impact of respiratory viruses on various outbreak settings by using surveillance data from the late first and second wave periods of the 2009 pandemic. A total of 278/345(78·5%) outbreaks tested positive for at least one respiratory virus by multiplex PCR. We detected A(H1N1)pdm09 in 20·6% of all reported outbreaks of which 54·9% were reported by camps, schools, and day cares (CSDs) and 29·6% by long-term care facilities (LCFTs), whereas enterovirus/human rhinovirus (ENT/HRV) accounted for 62% outbreaks of which 83·7% were reported by long-term care facilities (LCTFs). ENT/HRV was frequently identified in LTCF outbreaks involving elderly residents, whereas in CSDs, A(H1N1)pdm09 was primarily detected.