INFLUENZA-A OUTBREAK AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN A SKI HOSTEL

An outbreak of influenza A H3N2 with a high attack rate (49%) and abru pt onset (69% became ill within 2 days) occurred among 81 ski school p articipants who stayed in a crowded hostel in Austria in early 1997. T wo students were hospitalized with pneumonia; one of them died. Cultur es of blood and/or respiratory secretions from the hospitalized studen ts yielded toxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus. Influenza A H3N2 was confirmed serologically in four participants, including one surviving hospitalized student, and by polymerase chain reaction of lung tissue from the deceased student. This investigation demonstrates that influ enza can cause an explosive outbreak among skiers in a crowded hostel, leading to severe complications among previously healthy adolescents.