Volume 13, Number 11—November 2007
Dispatch
Medical Students and Pandemic Influenza
Benjamin Herman*, Rhonda J. Rosychuk*, Tracey Bailey*, Robert Lake*, Olive Yonge*, and Thomas J. Marrie*
Table 1
Knowledge of medical students about influenza spread, prevention, treatment, likelihood of infection, and outcome of such infection*
| Survey item | No. (%) |
|---|---|
| Influenza spread through | |
| Close contact with infected person | 287 (81.1) |
| Blood transfusion | 88 (24.9) |
| Sexual contact | 75 (21.2) |
| Cough/sneeze from infected person | 338 (95.5) |
| Touching door knobs | 263 (74.3) |
| Contact w/infected wild birds, chickens |
182 (51.4) |
| Influenza prevention | |
| Nothing can prevent pandemic influenza | 5 (1.4) |
| Hand washing | 331 (93.5) |
| Cover mouth when coughing/sneezing | 289 (81.6) |
| Vaccination | 257 (72.6) |
| Vitamins and herbal supplements | 47 (13.3) |
| Antiviral drugs | 121 (34.2) |
| Antibiotics | 14 (4.0) |
| Quarantine | 241 (68.1) |
| Staying home/avoiding public places | 253 (71.5) |
| Moving to area with no influenza | 56 (15.8) |
| Wearing protective equipment in public | 211 (59.6) |
| Eating sauerkraut |
8 (2.3) |
| Treatment | |
| Nothing can treat pandemic influenza | 16 (4.5) |
| Antibiotics | 28 (7.9) |
| Antibacterial drugs | 208 (58.8) |
| Vaccination | 43 (12.1) |
| Bed rest | 275 (77.7) |
| Fluids | 280 (79.1) |
| Complementary medicine | 19 (5.4) |
| Chicken soup |
66 (18.6) |
| Likelihood of infection if pandemic influenza is in Edmonton | |
| Very unlikely | 9 (2.5) |
| Likely or very likely |
146 (41.2) |
| Likelihood (likely or very likely) of the following outcomes if you have pandemic influenza | |
| Won’t miss school or work | 42 (11.9) |
| Will miss some school or work | 251 (70.9) |
| Hospitalization but will recover | 79 (22.3) |
| Death | 16 (4.5) |
*For spread, prevention, and treatment, right-hand column indicates positive response to item or statement. Multiple responses were possible within each category. For likelihood, right-hand column indicates responses for each category on a 5-point Likert-like scale ranging from “very unlikely” to “very likely.”
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