The quick onset of the H1N1 flu pandemic that ended last summer put global health agencies to the test. A potentially deadly combination of influenza virus genes never seen before in people or animals mobilized health leaders to protect the world population.

Groups are now starting to assess how they responded to the 16-month crisis that began in April 2009 and ended in August 2010.

In Ohio, teamwork between state and local health departments helped save lives and money during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a new study.

The study by the Ohio Department of Health estimates that the state's H1N1 vaccination efforts prevented 64 deaths, 1,400 hospitalizations and 310,402 cases of influenza and saved $8.4 million in hospitalization costs from April 12, 2009, to April 10, 2010.

The data analysis indicates that the collaborative response by agencies around the state to the H1N1 pandemic should receive some credit for the results, said Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Ted Wymyslo.

Researchers in Ohio used a model created by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Harvard School of Public Health called CommunityFlu to compare what occurred in Ohio with what could have happened without efforts to vaccinate and disperse public information, said Ohio Department of Health spokeswoman Jennifer House.

"Though some things were out of our control, such as when the vaccine was made available to us for distribution, we believe that the study supports that we did a good job of protecting people in Ohio," she said.

The $8.4 million estimated savings in hospitalization costs was calculated by multiplying the estimated number of hospitalizations averted by the average per person cost of $6,000 for flu-related care, House said.

State health officials ordered and shipped 4.1 million doses of vaccine to more than 3,000 providers, including obstetricians, primary care physicians, local health departments and pharmacies statewide.

The Ohio Department of Health also released more than $50 million in federal emergency public health preparedness funds, about 90 percent of the funds received by Ohio, to support vaccination clinics and prevention efforts at the local level.

Mass vaccination clinics and solid local leadership were key to the success of controlling the spread of this deadly flu, Wymyslo said.

"Although the impact of physicians' efforts to evaluate, counsel and treat the surge in patients is not included in our study," he said, it is clear that their actions were critical in protecting Ohioans.

The state has learned from the study that although prevention efforts went smoothly, officials could have devoted more resources to educating the public, House said. The more people know about precautions (like washing hands or staying home when sick), vaccine safety and where to get help, the better it is for the entire community.