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FRIDAY, Feb. 28, 2025 (HealthDay News) — As this year’s severe flu season rages across the country, federal health officials are investigating a rise in rare but life-threatening brain complications in children.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says at least 19,000 people have died from the flu so far this winter, including 86 children.
New data show that nine of those child deaths involved serious brain complications tied to the flu, the CDC reported Feb. 27 in it’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
The condition, known as influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis (IAE), is a rare type of brain inflammation triggered by the flu.
In severe cases, children can develop acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), a dangerous form of brain damage linked to viral infections like flu.
While IAE is rare, the CDC’s preliminary data for the 2024-25 flu season link 13% of child flu deaths to these brain complications.
Among 1,840 pediatric flu deaths reported to the CDC since 2010, 166 children (9%) had these brain complications.
In some past seasons, the percentage was lower (4% in 2013-14 and 0% in 2020-21 when flu dropped to historic a low during the COVID pandemic). In other seasons, it was as high as 14% (2011-12 season).
One challenge for public health experts, The Associated Press reported, is that there’s no official system to track IAE or ANE cases in the U.S.. This makes it hard to know if this year’s numbers are higher than usual.
The CDC has asked state health departments to report any additional cases this season.
It is encouraging hospitals to test for flu in children with severe neurological symptoms and to report those cases to local health departments.
So far this season, four of the nine children with flu-linked brain complications had the most severe type (ANE). All were under age 5.
Two of these children had received their flu shots, and two had not.
All four required mechanical ventilation (life support to help them breathe), and two experienced seizures during their hospital stay, according to MMWR.
Doctors and hospitals have previously warned to watch for symptoms such as seizures or hallucinations in children with the flu.
“Progression to severe neurologic impairment and death from IAE can occur rapidly after onset of influenza symptoms,” the report read. “Thus, prompt recognition and intervention are crucial, including neurocritical supportive care for patients with increased intracranial pressure and management of multiorgan failure.”
Despite the severe flu season, only about 45% of Americans have received their flu shots so far.
While not great at blocking infections, the vaccine’s main role “is to keep you out of the hospital and to keep you alive,” Vanderbilt University vaccine expert Dr. William Schaffner told The Associated Press.
Effectiveness of the shot varies from year to year. Preliminary CDC data released Thursday show the flu shot reduced the risk of hospitalization by 64% to 78% for vaccinated children and 41% to 55% for vaccinated adults.
Health officials stress it’s not too late to roll up your sleeve.
“If you haven’t gotten your flu shot yet, get it because we’re still seeing high flu circulation in most of the country,” Dr. Sean O’Leary of the American Academy of Pediatrics urged.
The growing concern about flu complications comes amid uncertainty over next year’s flu vaccine.
The Trump administration canceled a March 13 meeting where experts were supposed to help choose which flu strains to target in next season shot.
“We have historically worked really hard to get transparency around all of these vaccine discussions,” O’Leary said.
More information
The Mayo Clinic has more on flu shots for kids.
SOURCES: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, Feb. 27, 2025; The Associated Press, Feb. 27, 2025
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