Children, teens at risk as flu kills three

The Ministry of Health has stepped up its warnings to parents and doctors on the risks of influenza in children after confirming three North Island youngsters have died from flu complications.

It says influenza B is reaching epidemic rates and is urging GPs to refer children or young people they are concerned about to hospital immediately.

Ministry spokesman Dr Pat Tuohy said hundreds of North Island children and young people had influenza B, with high rates of absenteeism in some schools.

"We now know that in the last six weeks three young people became ill with influenza B and have died from complications from the virus," he said.

"The reason for alerting people is to make sure that parents can be aware that this is a nasty illness, and to alert general practitioners to the fact this has occurred and to make sure children are seen promptly and appropriately and referred to hospital if necessary."

Dr Tuohy said the ministry had asked all hospitals to tell the ministry if they were treating children and young people with the same sorts of illnesses.

This week the Herald reported on the death of 16-year-old William MacErlich, a keen sportsman who was believed to have died from flu complications. The Thames teenager had been to the doctor and received antibiotics for a chest infection but became seriously ill and died soon after on May 31.

Nearly two weeks ago Masterton schoolboy Matthew Campbell died after suffering flu-like symptoms and what was thought to be pneumonia.

The ministry would not provide details on the three who died, apart from saying they had the Hong Kong B strain and were from the North Island.

Dr Tuohy said New Zealand had not seen large numbers of people infected with the influenza Hong Kong B strain since 1987, although a few people had it in 2002.

"What that means is that most people born since 1987 will not have natural immunity and are hence more likely to be susceptible."

Last year's flu vaccine included the Hong Kong B strain but, based on World Health Organisation advice, this year's vaccine did not.

The ministry did not know precisely how many children and young people had died from flu complications, as often they were not recorded that way. On average, 60 to 100 people aged from one month to 24 years died from infectious diseases each year.

"It now seems likely that around the world influenza B has been implicated in more deaths in children and young people than the records show," Dr Tuohy said. "Although the cause of death may have been recorded as bacterial pneumonia or some other infection, it was the influenza B which made them vulnerable to that infection."

But, he said, there was no need to panic. Nearly every child who got the flu would be fine.

"It's really just a question of catching the ones who develop a complication early and making sure they get good medical care.

"For parents it's really important that we keep a close eye on children sick with flu-like symptoms. If children are unwell they should be kept at home from school. "

The ministry had been in touch with GPs over the past day or two and Dr Tuohy believed they had responded appropriately to the flu.

There was no evidence that the meningococcal B vaccine had any relationship to the deaths, he said.

Flu warning

* The Ministry of Health has strengthened warnings on the risks of influenza in children and young people after three young people died from influenza B complications.
* It urges parents to keep a close eye on children with flu-like symptoms and to seek medical help if they do not get better, get better but develop another fever, or have breathing difficulties.
* Doctors are urged to refer children for specialist hospital treatment if concerned about complications.
* Flu usually comes on suddenly with a fever, sore throat, dry cough, aches, pains and headaches.
* Sick children should be kept warm, given paracetamol for fever (not aspirin) and plenty of fluids.