Deaths associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among children, Japan, 2009-2010

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 17; no. 11; pp. 1993 - 2000
• Main Authors: Okumura, Akihisa, Nakagawa, Satoshi, Kawashima, Hisashi, Muguruma, Takashi, Saito, Osamu, Fujimoto, Jun-ichi, Toida, Chiaki, Kuga, Shuji, Imamura, Toshihiro, Shimizu, Toshiaki, Kondo, Naomi, Morishima, Tsuneo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.11.2011; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Accountants; Adolescent; Analysis; Antiviral agents; Aspartate; Cause of Death; Child; Child, Preschool; Children; CME; College teachers; Continuing medical education; Creatine; Creatine kinase; Development and progression; Diseases; Emergency medicine; Epidemics; Epilepsy; Female; Financial disclosure; Health aspects; Humans; Infant; influenza; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - isolation & purification; Influenza viruses; Influenza, Human - epidemiology; Influenza, Human - mortality; Japan - epidemiology; Lung diseases; Male; Medical personnel; Online health care information services; pandemic (H1N1) 2009; Pandemics; Pediatric death; preexisting conditions; Public health; Risk factors; Seizures (Medicine); Staphylococcus aureus infections; Swine influenza; Urea; Japan
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid1711.110649

To clarify the cause of deaths associated with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 among children in Japan, we retrospectively studied 41 patients <20 years of age who had died of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 through March 31, 2010. Data were collected through interviews with attending physicians and chart reviews. Median age of patients was 59 months; one third had a preexisting condition. Cause of death was categorized as unexpected cardiopulmonary arrest for 15 patients, encephalopathy for 15, and respiratory failure for 6. Preexisting respiratory or neurologic disorders were more frequent in patients with respiratory failure and less frequent in patients with unexpected cardiopulmonary arrest. The leading causes of death among children with pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Japan were encephalopathy and unexpected cardiopulmonary arrest. Deaths associated with respiratory failure were infrequent and occurred primarily among children with preexisting conditions. Vaccine use and public education are necessary for reducing influenza-associated illness and death.