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Impact of Flu

Flu in children

Flu hits children hard. It is distressing and painful, and can lead to complications, increased hospitalisations and even death. In fact, among otherwise healthy children from birth to 4 years of age, 1 in every 1,000 children with flu will need to be hospitalised as a result of their illness. [1] Also, it has been estimated that 8 children per 1,000,000 die from flu each year – the majority because of secondary complications of the viral infection. [2]

Complications of flu in children

Flu is a major cause of respiratory illness in children [3] and can lead to serious secondary complications such as bronchitis and worsening of asthma. Furthermore, otitis media – a painful infection of the ear – is a complication frequently associated with flu, which may occur in as many as 3 out of 10 young children who visit the doctor with flu-like symptoms. [4] This complication is very distressing and painful for young children and often results in sleepless nights for the whole family. Furthermore, in the long term, otitis media can cause hearing problems leading to delayed speech development.

The incidence rates of common flu-related complications among children younger than 5 years of age are shown in the table below. [4]

 Complication  Incidence of children younger than 5 years with flu who may develop common complications
 Acute otitis media  28%
 Acute pneumonia  6%
 Seizures  1%


Reye’s syndrome is a rare but serious condition that affects the nerves. It occurs most often in children aged 5–14 years who are recovering from some viral infections – such as flu. [5] Some children are naturally more sensitive to this complication, which is thought to be linked with the use of aspirin to relieve flu symptoms. [6] Reye’s syndrome begins with nausea and vomiting and can lead to mental symptoms such as confusion or delirium. If left untreated, it can lead to coma, permanent brain damage and death.

Although very few children develop Reye’s syndrome, you should talk to your doctor before giving aspirin or products containing aspirin to children.

  1. Arden NH. The epidemiology of influenza in children. Pediatr Ann 2000; 29: 678–82.
  2. Neuzil KM, Mellen BG, Wright PF, Mitchel EF, Jr., Griffin MR. The effect of influenza on hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and courses of antibiotics in children. N Engl J Med 2000; 342: 225–31.
  3. Glezen WP, Taber LH, Frank AL, Gruber WC, Piedra PA. Influenza virus infections in infants. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1997; 16: 1065–8.
  4. Poehling KA, Edwards KM, Weinberg GA, et al. The under-recognized burden of influenza in young children. N Engl J Med 2006; 355: 31–40.
  5. Nicholson K. Human influenza. In: Nicholson K, Webster RG, Hay A, eds. Textbook of influenza. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Science, 1998: 219–64.
  6. Glasgow JF. Reye's syndrome: the case for a causal link with aspirin. Drug Saf 2006; 29: 1111–21.
  • "I would describe flu as something that makes you feel very, very ill. You get a headache, aching bones, and are generally fed up"
  • "When I get flu symptoms I feel like a train has run over me"
  • "I felt very sick and, during the first week, I had high temperature. Flu was very different to a cold. I went back to work after two and a half weeks. Then I suffered a setback for another week"
  • "I run a guesthouse; flu would be a real pest for me. I couldn’t cook, I shouldn’t cook, and I wouldn’t cook, so I would need to get a lot of extra help in. It would cost me a lot more money. So flu’s a real problem, a right downturn"
  • "I work on my own and when I can’t work, I have to try not to infect my little children, so they avoid getting the flu as well"
  • "I feel a little numb, like I’m in another dimension. Because in general I have sore throat, headache, I feel all clogged-up. Usually a sensation like I’m floating in the air"
  • "Shivers, sweats, makes you ache. Last time I had flu I was off for two weeks"
  • "I think that I would probably be concerned that I would pass flu onto my children, who might not be able to deal with it as well as I would"
  • "Flu makes you feel like you’ve been hit over the head with a baseball bat. You don’t feel like you can get yourself out of bed as all your energy is drawn from you"
  • "I was incapable of working. It just wasn’t possible at all… and my flu dragged on for more than a week"
  • "I have no strength. It annoys me because I can do nothing, it seems like I’m wasting my time"
  • "Flu’s like being hit by a truck because you feel completely gone. There is no energy left in your body. You are suffering from high temperature. You’re sweating a lot and you feel really unwell"
  • "First of all infinite tiredness, then I feel like sleeping and don’t want to eat"
  • "I felt really miserable because my muscles and my bones were aching. Well, I can hardly describe it, I just felt really awful, absolutely miserable"
  • "It’s like there’s something huge treading on your head, like a deafening noise that destroys the eardrums"
  • "The fever was constantly rising – I immediately measured my temperature as soon as I got home. It was 41°C and it kept rising and I was wondering what’s going on. I was really scared! Everything was hurting and it all happened so fast. Flu came out of the blue"
  • "I always feel like my limbs have iron weights tied to them and I’m going to fall over any minute, a really stuffy runny nose and feel antisocial"
  • "I was totally dependent on others! I was incapable of doing anything at all"
  • "The real flu knocks you for six – you just don’t want to move or do anything. It’s not very nice"
  • "Not being able to go to work. Not being able to do the things I have to do at home and the commitments that I have day by day"