Disease burden of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza in Korean adult population

초록

Objectives: To investigate the disease burden of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza in Korean adult population, aged 20 or more, using the surveillance data of Hospital-based Influenza Morbidity & Mortality Surveillance (HIMM) network. Methods: The HIMM network is composed of two surveillance systems: emergency room-based and inpatients-based surveillance. A total of ten hospitals are included in the surveillance network. The adult catchment population of the HIMM network was calculated using the data of each hospital and the database of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service of Korea. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection, laboratory-confirmed influenza-related admission and laboratory-confirmed influenza-related death was calculated with the catchment population. The socioeconomic burden of influenza was estimated using the human capital approach method. Results: During the 2012-2013 influenza season, a total of 1,147 cases were diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed influenza in the ten hospitals. Among them, 366 (31.9%) cases were hospitalized and 33 (2.9%) cases were admitted to an intensive care unit. 202 (17.6%) cases had one or more influenza-related complications and pneumonia was the most common complication (173 cases, 15.1%). Among the laboratory-confirmed influenza cases, 24 (2.1%) died. The calculated adult catchment population of the HIMM network was 3,759,284. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection was 30.5 per 100,000 adult population. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza-related admission was 9.7 per 100,000 adult population. The incidence of laboratory-confirmed influenza-related death was 0.6 per 100,000 adult population. The total socioeconomic cost of 2012-2013 seasonal influenza in Korean adult population was estimated as $37,661,215. Conclusion: The disease burden of seasonal influenza in Korean adult population is relatively high and indicates that more active policies will be needed to