Nine influenza-related deaths have been reported in children in six states during the 2006–2007 flu season as of Feb. 3, based on a report issued Feb. 16 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Five children were boys; four were girls. The children ranged in age from 3 months to 14 years (average age 7.5 years).
All nine children tested positive for the influenza A virus, and two specimens were identified as the influenza A (H1) virus (MMWR 2007;56:118–21).
The preliminary rate of laboratory-confirmed flu hospitalizations among children aged 0–17 years was 0.13 per 10,000 children based on the Emerging Infections Program database for the period from Oct. 1, 2006, through Jan. 20, 2007.
When the children were divided by age group, the rates were 0.13 per 10,000 children aged 0–4 years, and 0.05 per 10,000 children aged 5–17 years.
In addition, the preliminary rate of laboratory-confirmed flu hospitalizations among children aged 0–4 years was 0.63 per 10,000 children, based on the New Vaccine Surveillance Network database for the period from Nov. 5, 2006, through Jan. 20, 2007.
Influenza A (H1) has been the most often reported virus in flu patients overall this year. The weekly percentage of deaths in patients of any age from pneumonia and influenza has ranged from 5.6% to 7.5% this year, but as of Feb. 3, these rates had not passed the epidemic threshold as defined by the CDC at any point during the 2006–2007 flu season.