(NB: CIDRAP News is the original-reporting and news-aggregation arm of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, an infectious disease research center headed by noted epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, PhD. I have a part-time appointment there. CIDRAP News is the best-read infectious-disease website you have never heard of, with about 10 million visitors a year, and is a notable resource for news on seasonal and pandemic flu, select agents and bioterrorism, and foodborne disease.)
It is bad netiquette and not fair use to reproduce another publication's entire story here, even if I wrote it. Here though are the highlights:
- 166 children died of influenza in the past three seasons (2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07) according to 39 states and 2 local health departments (86 this year in preliminary reporting)
- The proportion of deaths from bacterial co-infection rose each year, from 6% to 15% to 34%, a five-fold increase
- Almost all of the bacterial co-infections were staph; 64% of them MRSA
- The rapid rise in MRSA colonization (from 0.8% of the population in 2001 to 1.5% in 2004 — that's more than 4 million people) may be playing a role
- And, some of these deaths could have been avoided if children had had flu shots — but overall, only 21% of under-2s and 16% of 2- to 5-year-olds get the two shots they need to be fully protected against flu.
The cite is: Finelli L, Fiore A, Dhara R, et al. Influenza-associated pediatric mortality in the United States: increase of Staphylococcus aureus coinfection. Pediatrics 2008;122:805-11.
1 comment:
Dear Group
As you many know the icarecafe has been set up to provide a space for patients, carers and their supporters online.
Some of the members have set up a discussion group on the subject of MRSA. The group has asked lots of questions which are still in the process of being answered. So we thought it appropriate if we invited people from other MRSA discussion group and blogs to ask if they wished to participate.
To have a look at the discussions so far please have a look at
[url]http://www.icarecafe.com/?page_id=1107&group_id=71[/url]
Please do feel free to join in the discussions and to post any information which might be of interest to our members.
There is also a thread in the forum running which is of huge interest.
If you have any questions please feel free to get in touch. I’m one of the moderators of the icarecafe and I can be contacted by sending and internal email to my profile.
Thanks very much in advance for your help!
Best wishes
Belinda Shale
Moderator – the icarecafe
[url]http://www.icarecafe.com[/url]
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