ABSTRACT
Children, especially those younger than 5 years of age and those with chronic medical conditions, such as respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, immunosuppression, receiving long-term aspirin therapy, obesity or co-infection with bacteria, are at an increased risk of pandemic H1N1 infection-related complications. This paper reviews the underlying medical conditions associated with death or complications of pandemic H1N1 infection in children.
The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus, containing genes from avian, human and swine influenza viruses, emerged in North America, and caused illness in more than 190 countries and resulted in more than 4500 deaths worldwide. According to Taiwan Centres for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) data, among 2,089 typed influenza isolates from June 1 to October 10 in 2009, 1,805 (87%) were pandemic H1N1.
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