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This Year’s Harsh Flu Season-The Most Intense in 15 Years-His Federal Health Officials Trying to Undrstand if it sparked an increase an increase in a rare but life-threating brain Camplication in Childation in Childeren.
The centers for disease for control and prevention establishs 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter, Including 86 Children. Thursday, the CDC reported at least nine of thats children experienced brain complications, and it has asked state health departments to help investate if there are more such cases.
There is some good news: The CDC also reported that this year Flu shot do a pretty good job was preventing hospitalization from the flu -mong the 45% of the aaericans who got vaccinated. But it comes a day after the trump administration added to the uncertainty roiling government health agencies by canceling a meeting of experts who are supposed to help the recipe for NexT Winter’s Flu Vaccine.
Still, it’s not too late to get vaccinated this year: “If you haven’t Gotten your fl Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Flu Shot Effectiveness Varies from Year to Year. While not great at blocking infections, the vaccine’s main role “is to keep you out of the hospital and to keep you alive,” said Vanderbilt University Vaccine Expert Dr. William Schaffner.
Preliminary CDC data released children who got this year’s vaccine were between 64% and 78% less likely to be hospitalized thanks Likely to be hospitalized.
What about that that brain complications? Earlier this month, State Health Departments and Hospitals Warned Doctors to Watch for Child Flu Patients with Seizures, Hallucines or other signs of “influenza -ssocoted encepathay or Encephalitis “–nd a more severe subtype called” Acute Necrotizing Encepathy. ” Encephalitis is brain inflammation.
Thursday, The CDC Released Annalysis of 1,840 Child Flu Deaths Since 2010, Finding 166 with that that thats neurologic complications. Most was unvaccinated. But the agency concluded it’s unchary if this year’s nine deths with that that those complications – Ar who had the working subtype – Mark an uptick.
There’s no regular tracking of those neurologic complications, Making it hard to find the answers. In California, Dr. Keith Van Haren of Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Said Earlier This Month That He’D Learned of About 15 Flu-Arelated Cases of that Severe Subype from Doctor Doors Doors AROND THE Country and “WE Cases that may also also meet the criteria. ” He did not say how many died.
O’Leary, with the Pediatricians’ Academy, said parents Such as Labored Breathing.
Doctors See more neurologic complications during Severe Flu Seasons – Thee may be linked to Particular Influenza Strains –and Survivors can have ongoing seizures or other lingering projects,
Meanwhile, Vaccine makers alredy are gearing up for the months-long process of Brewing Next winter’s flu shoots. A food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Was Supposed to Meet on March 13 to Help Choose which flu strains to increase but that meet’s cancellation, it’s price Own.
“We have historically worked really hard to get transparency Around all of these vaccine discusations,” said o’lery, who said it’s important for the pudastand what goes into making Decisions about the flu vaccine composition and other vaccine recommendations.
“The FDA will make public its recommendations to manufacturers in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-2026 influenza season,” Andrew Nixon, Communications of the representation Human services, said in an email.
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