According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, even though it’s not often that children and teenagers die from flu-related causes, had the child been vaccinated against the flu several of these deaths could have been prevented. The report is published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
From September 2010 to August 2011, 115 influenza connected deaths of individuals younger than 18 years of age were reported in the study, which also highlights the importance of both yearly vaccination and rapid antiviral treatment.
Dr. Lyn Finelli, Chief of the CDC’s Surveillance and Outbreak Response Team explained:
“It’s vital that children get vaccinated. We know the flu vaccine isn’t 100 percent effective, especially not in children with high risk medical conditions. That’s why it’s essential that these two medical tools be fully utilized. Vaccinate first; then use influenza antiviral drugs as a second line of defense against the flu. Right now we aren’t fully using the medical tools at our disposal to prevent flu illnesses and deaths in children.”
The study provides details on the deaths. Beginning in 2004, all states are required to report any deaths connected with influenza in children and teenagers, giving the CDC an opportunity to take a closer look at the factors that can increase the risk.
Among the most important findings was the infrequent use of vaccination, the most crucial influenza prevention measure. Even though since 2008 it has been advised that all children 6 months of age and older receive the vaccination, only 23% of the 74 children older than 6 months with a known vaccination history had had their flu vaccine last season.
Despite several people’s belief that if the child is healthy they can withstand a bout of flu, this is not always the case. Approximately half of the children who died last season were healthy before and did not have any medical condition that would put them at risk for flu complications. However, this study highlights the face that young age alone is a risk factor. The study discovered that out of the children who died 46% were younger than 5 years old and 29% were younger than 2 years old.
The other half of the children who died had a greater risk of flu complications because they had medical conditions. Out of these 57 children, 54% had a neurological disorder, 30% had pulmonary disease, 25% had a chromosome or genetic disorder and 19% had congenital heart disease or other cardiac disease.
The investigation also discovered issues regarding the use of antiviral drugs, which provide effective treatment for flu. Only 50% of the 94 children who died in a hospital or emergency department were prescribed antiviral drugs. Especially since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, the CDC has advised immediate treatment with influenza antiviral drugs in patients with suspected flu who are severely ill.
An additional report in the Sept. 16 MMWR gives a summary of influenza activity from mid-May to the start of September. Finelli explains: “If trends in that report continue we should have a vaccine that will offer good protection against the viruses we expect will circulate this season.”
The flu vaccine this season protects against three influenza viruses, the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) virus, an influenza A (H3N2) virus, and an influenza B virus. These are the same influenza strains that were going around in 2010-2011, which since 1969 this is just the eighth time this phenomenon has occurred. In addition, it is crucial to point out that vaccine immunity wanes over time and so the CDC advises that everyone get vaccinated this season, regardless if they vaccinated last season, in order to be optimally protected.
Written by Grace Rattue