Washington-the cruel influenza season for this year-the most intense in 15 years-has federal health officials who are trying to understand whether it has raised an increase in rare brain complications but life-threatening in children.
Disease Control and Prevention Centers estimate that 19,000 people have died of influenza so far this winter, including 86 children. On Thursday, the Center for Disease Control reported at least nine of these children of the brain complications, and asked the state’s health departments to help investigate whether there are more such cases.
There are some good news: The Disease Control Center also reported that this year’s influenza shots are doing a very good job preventing the hospital from influenza – out of 45 % of the American who were vaccinated. But this comes a day after the Trump administration added to the uncertainty in government health agencies by canceling a meeting for experts who are supposed to help choose the recipe for influenza vaccine next winter.
However, it is not too late for vaccination this year: “If you haven’t got a influenza snapshot yet, get it because we still see high trading in most countries.”
The effectiveness of the influenza shot varies from year to year. Although it is not great in preventing inflammation, the main role of the vaccine “is to keep you away from the hospital and keep you alive,” said Dr. William Shavener, an expert in the Vanderbelt University vaccine.
The initial CDC data released on Thursday found that children who received a vaccine this year ranged between 64 % and less than 78 % of the most likely in the hospital than their non -imprisoned counterparts, and adults were less likely to 41 % to 55 % in the hospital.
Read more: This is one of the worst influenza seasons in decades
What about the complications of the brain? Earlier this month, government health departments and hospitals have warned doctors against monitoring influenza patients for children with episodes, hallucinations, or other signs on “encephalopathy or influenza-associated encephalitis”-and more intense sub-diversity called “intensified brain disease”. Essiditis is encephalitis.
On Thursday, the Disease Control Center issued an analysis of 1,840 children’s influenza deaths since 2010, when it was found 166 with these neurological complications. Most of them were not crowd. But the agency concluded that it is unclear whether the nine deaths of this year with these complications – four of them have a worse subtitle – represent an increase.
There is no regular tracking of these nervous complications, which makes it difficult to find answers. In California, Dr. Keith Van Harin, a child’s health at Stanford University, said earlier this month that he learned of about 15 cases associated with influenza of this extreme sub -type of doctors across the country and “we are aware or more cases that may meet the standards as well.” The number of death did not say.
With the Academy of Pediatrics, Olieri said that parents should remember that these complications are rare – the advice remains to seek medical advice at any time when a child with influenza or symptoms, such as deceitful breathing, suffers from.
He said that doctors see more nervous complications during severe influenza seasons – they may be associated with certain flu strains – and survivors can suffer from persistent episodes or other remaining problems.
Meanwhile, vaccine makers are already preparing for the fluid of influenza next winter. The Food and Drug Administration Consultative Committee was supposed to meet on March 13 to help choose the influenza strains that must be included but with the abolition of this meeting, it is not clear whether the government will decide on its own.
“We have worked historically hard to obtain transparency about all these vaccine discussions,” said Oliri, who said it is important for the public to understand what decisions regarding the formation of influenza vaccine and other vaccine recommendations.
Andrew Nixon, Director of Communications at the Ministry of Health and Humanitarian Services, said in an email message:
AP Jonel AlexCia and Mike STOBBE contributed.
