Nearly half the flu-related deaths in children last year occurred in those younger than 5 years, and only 23% of eligible children had been vaccinated, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC released data on influenza-associated pediatric deaths between September 2010 and August 2011 in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published online Sept. 16 (MMWR 2011;60:1233-38).
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Out of the 115 children who died of the flu in the last 12 months, only 17 had been fully vaccinated.
A total of 115 flu-related deaths in children younger than age 18 years were reported to the CDC during the study period. Of these, 56 (49%) had no known high-risk medical conditions as defined by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Only 17 children (23%) had been fully vaccinated, based on data from the 74 children aged 6 months and older for whom vaccination information was available.
The median age of the patients who died was 6 years, and 53 deaths (46%) occurred in children younger than 5 years.
Overall, 71 cases (62%) were associated with influenza A viruses, and 44 (38%) were associated with influenza B viruses.
"Influenza B was identified in a disproportionate number of pediatric influenza-associated deaths," although only 26% of the circulating viruses during the 2010-2011 flu season were influenza B, the researchers noted. In previous seasons, the percentage of influenza B viruses in flu-related pediatric deaths has been equal or greater than the percentage of influenza B circulating virus for that season, they said.
The data are subject to the limitations of the current surveillance system, the researchers noted. But the report emphasizes the need for continued surveillance. The CDC continues to recommend annual flu vaccinations for all children aged 6 months and older.
The MMWR also included a report on flu activity in the United States and worldwide from May 22, 2011 through Sept. 3, 2011 (MMWR 2011;60:1239-41). In the U.S., 122 respiratory specimens were positive for influenza, including 87 cases of influenza A and 35 of influenza B. Flu viruses were reported in 26 states during this period, and they were different from the currently circulating H3N2 virus.
Worldwide, the 2009 H1N1 virus was the dominant circulating virus in Australia, while influenza B viruses dominated New Zealand. The 2009 H1N1 virus also dominated cases in southern Africa, while the influenza A H3N2 was the dominant virus in Asia during this period.