Around two in every 100 babies under six months is admitted to hospital for influenza in Australia
Around two in every 100 babies under six months is admitted to hospital for influenza in Australia.
Each year, around four or five babies die from the disease.
“And [deaths] don’t just occur in children that have a bunch of other medical problems,” says Professor Peter McIntyre, a paediatrician and infectious disease physician and director of the National Centre for Immunisation at Westmead Children’s Hospital.
“They occur in quite well children that have not previously had significant illness.”
Very young infants usually present with a high fever, which can be associated with a fit.
“With the older ones it is more often a respiratory [presentation],” said Professor McIntyre.
But these children can also have gastrointestinal issues or even neurological complications, he said.
This video covers:
What is the incidence of hospital admissions for influenza in Australia?
What types of patients have been admitted to your hospital this winter?
What groups are particularly at risk?
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