Lessons from the swine flu: pandemic, panic and/or pandemonium?

The 2009 pandemic of swine-origin A/H1N1 influenza (swine flu) spread rapidly in Australia and there was a prolonged winter outbreak lasting 18 weeks. For Australian children, the case fatality rate of swine flu was no higher than for severe seasonal influenza. Because of the high number of children infected with swine flu, however, there were more children admitted to hospital than usual and more children died. Health-care services (emergency departments, medical wards and intensive care units) were stretched. The introduction of special influenza clinics helped services cope. Pregnant women were at high risk of severe swine flu and seven pregnant women and seven of their babies died. Future pandemic planning should consider severity of influenza, in addition to rapidity of spread, as a criterion for escalating interventions.