Press Release
For Immediate Release: August 29, 2012
Health care and advocacy groups join to protect children most vulnerable to influenza
A disproportionately high number of children with
neurologic disorders died from influenza-related complications during
the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, according to a study by scientists with the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The report in the journal
Pediatricsunderscores the importance of influenza vaccination to
protect children with neurologic disorders. CDC is joining with the
American Academy of Pediatrics, Families Fighting Flu and Family Voices
to spread the message about the importance of influenza vaccination
and treatment in these children.
The Pediatrics study looked at
influenza-related deaths in children during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic based
on data submitted to CDC from state and local health departments. The
number of pediatric deaths associated with 2009 H1N1 virus infection
reported to CDC during the pandemic was more than five times the median
number of pediatric deaths that were reported in the five flu seasons
prior to the pandemic. Sixty-eight percent of those deaths occurred in
children with underlying medical conditions that increase the risk of
serious flu complications.
Of the 336 children (defined as
people younger than 18 years) with information available on underlying
medical conditions who were reported to have died from 2009 H1N1
flu-associated causes, 227 had one or more underlying health
conditions. One hundred forty-six children (64 percent) had a
neurologic disorder such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, or
epilepsy. Of the children with neurologic disorders for whom
information on vaccination status was available, only 21 (23 percent)
had received the seasonal influenza vaccine and 2 (3 percent) were fully
vaccinated for 2009 H1N1.
“We’ve known for some time that certain neurologic
conditions can put children at high risk for serious complications from
influenza,” said Dr. Lyn Finelli, chief of the surveillance and
outbreak response team in CDC’s Influenza Division. “However, the high
percentage of pediatric deaths associated with neurologic disorders that
occurred during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic was a somber reminder of the
harm that flu can cause to children with neurologic and
neurodevelopmental disorders.”
“Flu is particularly dangerous for people who may
have trouble with muscle function, lung function or difficulty
coughing, swallowing or clearing fluids from their airways,” said study
coauthor and pediatrician Dr. Georgina Peacock. “These problems are
sometimes experienced by children with neurologic disorders,” said
Peacock, of CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
The most commonly reported
complications for children with neurologic disorders in this study were
influenza-associated pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome
(ARDS). Seventy-five percent of children with a neurologic condition
who died from 2009 H1N1 influenza-related infection also had an
additional high risk condition that increased their risk for influenza
complications, such as a pulmonary disorder, metabolic disorder, heart
disease or a chromosomal abnormality.
CDC is partnering with the American
Academy of Pediatrics and influenza advocacy groups to help promote
awareness about the importance of influenza prevention and treatment in
these high risk children. Since the H1N1 pandemic, children with
neurologic conditions continue to represent a disproportionate number
of influenza-associated pediatric deaths. CDC, the American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP), Family Voices, and Families Fighting Flu recognize
the need to communicate with care takers about the potential for severe
outcomes in these children if they are infected with flu.
“Partnering with the American Academy of Pediatrics,
influenza advocacy groups and family led-organizations CAN help
prevent influenza in children at highest risk,” said CDC Director Dr.
Thomas R. Frieden.
The partnering organizations are working to
coordinate communication activities with their constituents, which
include parents and caregivers, primary care clinicians, developmental
pediatricians and neurologists in hopes to increase awareness about flu
prevention and treatment in children with neurologic disorders.
“The American Academy of Pediatrics, Families
Fighting Flu and Family Voices were all natural partners when we
thought about how to reach as many key people as possible with this
message,” Dr. Peacock adds. “The collaboration and energy around this
effort has been fabulous.”
“Our network of physicians is committed to influenza
prevention in all children, and especially in reducing complications
in those children at higher risk for experiencing severe outcomes as a
result of influenza-like illness,” says Robert W. Block, M.D., president
of the AAP. “This coalition can more broadly engage the entire
community of child caregivers to express how serious flu can be for
these children. These efforts emphasize why the medical home is so
important for children and youth with special health care needs.”
Family Voices is a national
family-led organization supporting families and their children with
special health care needs. Ruth Walden, a parent of a child with
special needs and president of the Family Voices Board of Directors,
says, “It’s frightening to think that flu can potentially lead to so
many complications or even death. We’re pleased to see organizations
working together to educate families and providers about the importance
of prevention.”
Families Fighting Flu, an advocacy
group dedicated to preventing influenza, has a long history of reaching
out to families who’ve lost loved ones to flu. “Throughout the years
we’ve seen firsthand how flu can affect these kids and their families’
lives. We understand that prevention is absolutely critical,” explains
Laura Scott, executive director of Families Fighting Flu. “Working with
other groups only expands our mission of keeping kids safe throughout
the flu season.”
CDC recommends that everyone aged 6
months and older get an annual influenza vaccination, including people
who are at high risk of developing serious complications. Flu vaccine
is the best prevention method available. Antiviral drugs, which can
treat flu illness, are a second line of defense against flu.
To learn more about influenza, visit
www.cdc.gov/flu.
About American Academy of Pediatrics
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization
of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists
and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and
well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For
more information, visit
www.aap.org
.
About Family Voices
Family Voices provides families with resources to
make informed decisions, advocate for improved public and private
policies, build partnerships among professionals and families, and serve
as a trusted resource on health care. There are Family Voices
representatives in each state and territory across the country ready to
assist you with issues related to the health care of a child or youth
with a special need or disability. More information is available at
www.familyvoices.org, or by calling 1-888-835-5669.
About Families Fighting Flu
Families Fighting Flu
is a
nonprofit, 501(c)(3) volunteer-based advocacy organization dedicated to
protecting the lives of children. Our members include families whose
children have suffered serious medical complications or died from
influenza, as well as health care practitioners and advocates committed
to flu prevention. In honor of our children, we work to increase
awareness about the seriousness of the disease and to reduce the number
of childhood hospitalizations and deaths caused by the flu each year
by increasing vaccination rates. Families Fighting Flu offers support
to other families and communities who have been severely affected by
the flu through resources available at
www.familiesfightingflu.org.
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/p0829_neurologic_flu.html
