Fatal Influenza-Associated Encephalopathy Among U.S. Children

This devastating complication of seasonal influenza illness may be on the rise.

Following anecdotal reports in early 2025 of several fatal cases of influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE; a severe form of influenza-associated encephalopathy [IAE]), the CDC queried the Influenza-Associated Pediatric Mortality Surveillance System database to analyze the 166 IAE cases among 1840 fatal pediatric influenza cases reported from the 2010–11 influenza season to the 2024–25 season.

Key findings include the following:

The proportion of deaths from IAE ranged from 0% up to 14% and is at 13% (9 of 68 fatal cases) for the current influenza season.
Younger children had the highest prevalence of IAE, with those aged 2–4 years accounting for 10% of total cases. Infants younger than 6 months had the lowest prevalence (5…

Reviewing Author

Deborah Lehman, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Deborah Lehman, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Fatal Influenza-Associated Encephalopathy Among U.S. Children

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Reviewing Author