Medical doctors across the US have anecdotally reported an uptick of youngsters critically sick with the flu creating extreme, life-threatening neurological issues, which will be marked by seizures, delirium, hallucinations, decreased consciousness, lethargy, persona modifications, and abnormalities in mind imaging.

It is lengthy been identified that the seasonal flu may cause such devastating issues in some kids, many with no underlying medical circumstances. However docs have begun to suspect that this yr’s flu season—the most severe in over 15 years—has taken a but darker flip for youngsters. On February 14, as an example, well being officers in Massachusetts launched an advisory for clinicians to be on alert for neurological issues in pediatric flu sufferers after detecting a “potential improve.”

With the anecdata coming in, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention analyzed all the info it has on neurological issues from flu this yr and seasons courting again to 2010. Sadly, present surveillance methods for flu don’t seize neurological issues in pediatric circumstances total—however they do seize such detailed scientific information when a toddler dies of flu.

An analysis of that data, printed at this time within the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, cannot definitively say that this yr is out of the norm. For one factor, the flu season isn’t but over. However the information to date does recommend it could be one of many extra extreme seasons within the final 15 years.

Particularly, the CDC obtained studies of a extreme neurological complication referred to as influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE). ANE is a extreme type of the extra common class of influenza-associated encephalopathy or encephalitis (IAE), that means mind dysfunction or irritation from the flu.

When a toddler dies of the flu, clinicians are required to fill out a standardized case report kind from the CDC, which collects a big number of information, together with issues. Encephalopathy or encephalitis are included as a checkbox on the shape.

Between 2010 and February 8, 2025, 1,840 kids died of the flu. Of these, 166 had IAE checked off as a complication. IAE was most prevalent in kids aged 2 to 4 however affected kids in all age teams beneath 18. Greater than half of the circumstances (54 p.c) had no underlying medical circumstances, and most (80 p.c) have been unvaccinated towards the flu.