Effect of Occupational Exposure on A(H1N1)pdm09 Infection and Hospitalization.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze relationships between occupational exposure and influenza infection and hospitalization during the 2009-2010 pandemic wave and the 2010-2011 influenza seasonal epidemic in Spain.

METHODS

Occupations were classified as high, medium, or low risk of influenza exposure. To assess the risk of infection, 588 outpatient cases of influenza confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) were compared with 588 outpatients without influenza symptoms. To assess the risk of hospitalization, 337 outpatient influenza cases were compared with 337 inpatient influenza cases.

RESULTS

The high risk of occupational exposure group was composed only of health care workers. After adjustment for age, sex, vaccination status, and predictive variables of influenza infection, patients with a high risk of occupational exposure had an aOR of 2.14 (95%CI: 1.25-3.66) of being an outpatient influenza case and an aOR of 0.43 (95%CI: 0.20-0.95) of being an inpatient influenza case, compared with those with a low risk.

CONCLUSIONS

A high risk of occupational exposure is a risk factor for influenza infection but not for hospitalization.