title: Influenza A associated morbidity and mortality in a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: This paper reports the clinical features and outcome of all children with a laboratory proven diagnosis of influenza A virus infection admitted to a major Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in 2003. Eight of the 22 patients with influenza A virus infection (A/Fujian/411/2002-like type) presented with encephalopathy and three of the 22 patients died. This can be compared with 44 admissions and seven (16%) deaths of patients with influenza virus admitted in the same PICU in the preceding 15 years. In the present cohort, four (18%) of the 22 patients, including one child who died, should have received influenza vaccine according to the current Australian immunisation recommendations. We have no documented evidence that any of the 22 children received influenza vaccination. During the 2003 influenza season there was an increased number of children admitted to our PICU with influenza A infection and an increased number of deaths compared with previous years. Influenza infection causes significant morbidity and mortality in young children, most of whom are not currently recommended for annual influenza vaccination.
authors.affiliation: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales. bronwym2@chw.edu.au
authors.forename: Bronwyn G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Milne
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Meryta L A
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kesson
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gillis
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Burgess
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014611:Vaccination / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D007252:Influenza Vaccines