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Nursing workers are exposed to the biological workloads that put them in contact with virus and other microorganisms by contact with patients during the nursing care in health institutions. It is frequent the occurrence of health problems by exposure to biological workloads such as respiratory diseases, particularly influenza. In 2009 the WHO declared pandemic virus A (H1N1) in several countries, including Brazil. In the same year, it was confirmed 27,850 cases of pandemic influenza in Brazil.
Methods
The study was descriptive of quantitative approaching. The settings were seven university hospitals of the five regions of Brazil. One year of data of pandemic influenza, related to work, were collected by on line system – Health Surveillance System of the Nursing Workers (SIMOSTE).The project was approved by an Ethics and Research Committee, and the authorization of data collection was provided by hospitals.
Results
Analysis data showed that was notified 51 reports of suspected cases of influenza among nursing staff of the settings, and 28 (54.9%) were reported as pandemic influenza. All settings had diagnosed at least one case of pandemic influenza, with the exception of the setting of the northeast, such as: north 16 cases (57.1%), Midwest 4 cases (14.3%), southeast 3 (10.7%) and south 5 cases (17.9%).
Discussion
Considering that the nursing workers of seven hospitals add 6,044 individuals, reported cases of H1N1 represent 0.46%, significantly higher than that presented to the population (14.5/100,000 inhabitants). Also, data show that the high frequency of reported cases in the north, while to the country the largest number of cases are concentrated in south and southeast (66.2/100,000 and 9.7/100,000 respectively). The frequency of notifications among nursing workers is explained in terms of their contact with patients with H1N1 virus in health institutions, that’s why the campaigns of immunization were intensified with health care workers in the country.