Loading...
In 2005, the CDC recommended influenza vaccination for children with neurologic disorders because this population suffers from the highest morbidity and mortality from influenza. CDC investigators describe pediatric deaths associated with the 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus.
The CDC received reports of 336 influenza-associated deaths in children (age ≤18 years) during the 2009–2010 H1N1 pandemic season. This number is more than five times the median number of deaths reported in the prior five seasons. Among the deaths, 146 (43%) were in children with neurologic disorders. Within that cohort, the vast majority (94%) had neurodevelopmental disorders, and 51% had epilepsy. The median age was 10 years, and the median length of stay prior …