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Acute paediatrics
Influenza burden of illness, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention: what is the evidence in children and where are the gaps?
  1. S S S Teo1,
  2. J S Nguyen-Van-Tam2,
  3. R Booy1
  1. 1Centre for Child Health, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry at Barts and the London, University of London, UK
  2. 2Aventis Pasteur MSD, Maidenhead, UK
  1. Correspondence to:
    Prof. R Booy
    Centre for Child Health, Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry at Barts and the London, University of London, UK; r.booyqmul.ac.uk

Abstract

Influenza is a disease of global public health significance. Traditionally the emphasis has been on adult disease because of the impact of influenza related mortality in the elderly and other high risk groups. However, it is becoming increasingly better recognised that young children suffer considerable morbidity from influenza.1–6 There are also potential consequences for siblings, parents, other carers, and extended family members in terms of secondary infections and carer leave. Influenza infection in childhood could be effectively prevented through vaccination. However, the United States is the only industrialised country currently recommending universal influenza vaccination for young children (between the ages of 6 and 23 months), as opposed to vaccinating only those with high risk conditions.7,8

  • influenza
  • burden
  • transmission
  • antiviral
  • immunisation

https://doi.org/10.1136/adc.2004.051896

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: ST and RB are in receipt of grant-in-aid from Wyeth for influenza research. At the time of preparing this manuscript, JSNVT worked for Aventis Pasteur MSD as UK Medical Director. He has subsequently moved to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Health Protection Agency, Colindale, London. The views expressed in this paper are not necessarily the views of Aventis Pasteur MSD or the Health Protection Agency.