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ABSTRACT: Introduction
Epidemiological studies of the 1957 influenza pandemic are scarce, particularly from lower-income settings.Methods
We analyzed the spatial-temporal mortality patterns of the 1957 influenza pandemic in Chile, including detailed age-specific mortality data from a large city, and investigated risk factors for severe mortality impact across regions.Results
Chile exhibited two waves of excess mortality in winter 1957 and 1959 with a cumulative excess mortality rate of 12 per 10 000, and a ~10-fold mortality difference across provinces. High excess mortality rates were associated with high baseline mortality (R2 =41.8%; P=.02), but not with latitude (P>.7). Excess mortality rates increased sharply with age. Transmissibility declined from R=1.4-2.1 to R=1.2-1.4 between the two pandemic waves.Conclusions
The estimated A/H2N2 mortality burden in Chile is the highest on record for this pandemic-about three to five times as severe as that experienced in wealthier nations. The global impact of this pandemic may be substantially underestimated from previous studies based on high-income countries.
SUBMITTER: Chowell G
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5410718 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Chowell Gerardo G Simonsen Lone L Fuentes Rodrigo R Flores Jose J Miller Mark A MA Viboud Cécile C
Influenza and other respiratory viruses 20170331 3
<h4>Introduction</h4>Epidemiological studies of the 1957 influenza pandemic are scarce, particularly from lower-income settings.<h4>Methods</h4>We analyzed the spatial-temporal mortality patterns of the 1957 influenza pandemic in Chile, including detailed age-specific mortality data from a large city, and investigated risk factors for severe mortality impact across regions.<h4>Results</h4>Chile exhibited two waves of excess mortality in winter 1957 and 1959 with a cumulative excess mortality rat ...[more]