Abstract
To investigate the burden of influenza-like illness (ILI), patients
attending an emergency department during the influenza season
were tested for several common respiratory viruses, using PCRbased
methods. Influenza A viruses were detected in 25 of 103
recruited patients (24%), rhinoviruses in 15%, and respiratory
syncytial virus in only one. The data suggest that triage criteria
based on ILI case definitions would not contain the spread of
the influenza virus during pandemic alerts and could lead to
unnecessary isolation of patients with other infections. Application
of broader triage criteria followed by timely molecular diagnosis
could be effective in preventing new respiratory agent
transmission.
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