Is the 2009 Influenza A (h1n1) Virus Uncovering Health Disparities in Miami?

Background: Since last April 2009 when the first cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza were diagnosed in the United States, the Miami-Dade County has been the hardest hit by this disease among Florida counties. This outbreak has also uncovered large disparities in the outcome of this disease among ethnic and racial groups in our community. Sixty-two percent of the 2,400,000 Miami-Dade County residents are of Hispanic origin, eighteen percent are Black Non-Hispanic, and White Non-Hispanic respectively. Among County residents, twentyeight percent have no health insurance, and seventeen percent live below the poverty level. Methods: Information was retrieved from the enhanced public health surveillance database of Miami-Dade County residents who were hospitalized or died due to laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza infection reported to the Miami-Dade County Health Department between April 26th and November 30th, 2009. Results: During this period, a total of 32 patients died, and 423 were admitted at Miami-Dade hospitals due to this disease. The hospitalization rate among Black Non-Hispanic residents (26.7 per 100,000) was more than three times higher than the one observed among White Non-Hispanics (7.3 per 100,000). Black Non-Hispanic residents (1.9 per 100,000) were more than twice likely to die due to this disease than Non-Hispanic Whites (0.7 per 100,000). Miami-Dade had more pronounced disparities among racial/ethnic groups than the ones observed in other areas of the State of Florida. Conclusion: The current 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak has hit more severely the minority population in Miami-Dade, underscoring the need to address the social and environmental factors leading to increasing health disparities observed on this community. Abstracts for SupplementInternational Journal of Infectious DiseasesVol. 14Preview Full-Text PDF Open Archive