%0 Journal Article
%T Pandemic A/H1N1v influenza 2009 in hospitalized children: a multicenter Belgian survey
%A Sophie Blumental
%A Elisabeth Huisman
%A Marie-Coralie Cornet
%A Christine Ferreiro
%A Iris De Schutter
%A Marijke Reynders
%A Ingrid Wybo
%A Beno£¿t Kabamba-Mukadi
%A Ruth Armano
%A Dominique Hermans
%A Marie-C¨¦cile Nassogne
%A Bhavna Mahadeb
%A Christine Fonteyne
%A Gerlant Van Berlaer
%A Jack Levy
%A Didier Moulin
%A Anne Vergison
%A Anne Malfroot
%A Philippe Lepage
%J BMC Infectious Diseases
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2334-11-313
%X From July 1, 2009, to January 31, 2010, we collected epidemiological and clinical data of all proven (positive H1N1v PCR) and probable (positive influenza A antigen or culture) pediatric cases of influenza A/H1N1v infections, hospitalized in four tertiary centers.During the epidemic period, an excess of 18% of pediatric outpatients and emergency department visits was registered. 215 children were hospitalized with proven/probable influenza A/H1N1v infection. Median age was 31 months. 47% had ¡Ư 1 comorbid conditions. Febrile respiratory illness was the most common presentation. 36% presented with initial gastrointestinal symptoms and 10% with neurological manifestations. 34% had pneumonia. Only 24% of the patients received oseltamivir but 57% received antibiotics. 10% of children were admitted to PICU, seven of whom with ARDS. Case fatality-rate was 5/215 (2%), concerning only children suffering from chronic neurological disorders. Children over 2 years of age showed a higher propensity to be admitted to PICU (16% vs 1%, p = 0.002) and a higher mortality rate (4% vs 0%, p = 0.06). Infants less than 3 months old showed a milder course of infection, with few respiratory and neurological complications.Although influenza A/H1N1v infections were generally self-limited, pediatric burden of disease was significant. Compared to other countries experiencing different health care systems, our Belgian cohort was younger and received less frequently antiviral therapy; disease course and mortality were however similar.On March 2009, in Mexico, a novel recombinant influenza strain (A/H1N1v) of swine origin was discovered as an infective agent in humans [1]. This new virus spread rapidly, first to USA and Canada, then all over the world, causing the "new 2009 influenza A/H1N1v pandemic" [2]. Worldwide, the burden of disease was significant and subsequent efforts from health care systems were required to face an overload of patient's consultations as well as to implement vaccination
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2334/11/313