Occurrence of influenza A(H1N1)v virus in Western Romania in relationship to international travel.

Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the first cases of infection with the novel influenza A (H1N1) variant virus [A(H1N1)v] admitted to a reference hospital in Western Romanian from mid-June to mid-July 2009 are overviewed. Of 74 suspected cases, 7 were laboratory confirmed. All patients were either Romanian citizens, or people originating from Romania and established overseas. The median age was 13 years and the mean length of hospital stay was 7.7 days. Cough (n = 6) and fever (n = 4) were the most commonly reported symptoms, and all cases made complete recovery. Early diagnosis and management of H1N1 flu was not problematic for the infectious disease specialists. Because many Romanians established overseas come yearly to visit their relatives, special attention must be addressed to the international flight passengers.