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Published on: August 14, 2019
Burden of influenza in children in the community
Terho Heikkinen1, Heli Silvennoinen, Ville Peltola
1Department of Pediatrics, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland. terho.heikkinen@utu.fi.
Insights
Influenza significantly impacts young children treated as outpatients, causing illness and parental work loss. Vaccinating children under 3 could reduce these substantial direct and indirect costs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Influenza vaccination is recommended for children due to hospitalization risks.
- Limited data exist on the outpatient burden of influenza in pediatric populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the incidence and burden of influenza in outpatient children.
- To evaluate complications and associated parental work loss.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of children aged 13 years or younger over two respiratory seasons.
- Nasal swabs for influenza detection and daily symptom diaries used.
- High participant retention rate (94%) ensured robust data.
Main Results:
- Highest annual influenza rate observed in children under 3 years old (179 cases/1000 children).
- Acute otitis media complicated influenza in 39.7% of children under 3.
- Influenza in children under 3 resulted in 195 days of parental work loss per 100 cases.
Conclusions:
- Influenza imposes a significant illness burden on outpatient children and their families.
- Vaccination of children under 3 may reduce direct and indirect costs associated with influenza.
- Further research into pediatric influenza management and prevention is warranted.
Background:
Influenza vaccination of healthy children is encouraged because children are frequently hospitalized for influenza-attributable illnesses. However, most children with influenza are treated as outpatients, and scarce data are available on the burden of influenza in these children.
Methods:
We performed a prospective study of respiratory infections in preenrolled cohorts of children < or = 13 years old during 2 consecutive respiratory seasons (2231 child-seasons of follow-up). At any sign of respiratory infection, we examined the children and obtained a nasal swab for the detection of influenza. The parents filled out daily symptom diaries. Of all the enrollees, 94% remained active participants in the study.
Results:
The average annual rate of influenza was highest (179 cases/1000 children) among children < 3 years old. Acute otitis media developed as a complication of influenza in 39.7% of children < 3 years old. For every 100 influenza-infected children < 3 years old, there were 195 days of parental work loss (mean duration, 3.2 days).
Conclusions:
Influenza causes a substantial burden of illness on outpatient children and their families. Vaccination of children < 3 years old might be beneficial for reducing the direct and indirect costs of influenza in children.
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