Pediatricians are seeing more cases of a rare but extremely serious condition caused by flu infection. The condition, known as acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), happens when the flu damages the nervous system. As a result, children can suffer from confusion, hallucinations, seizures, abnormal movements and difficulty walking.
Getting a flu shot is the best way to protect kids from developing severe flu complications such as ANE. A recent report shows that 84% of patients (with a known vaccination status) with influenza-associated encephalopathy were not vaccinated. Flu vaccination rates for children have trended downward in the last 15 years.
It’s not just vulnerable children who are at risk for ANE. Any child can exposed to the flu can develop life-threatening conditions. “We don’t always know how to predict which kids are going to have the most severe forms of flu, which is why we recommend the vaccine for everyone,” said Dr. Buddy Creech, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. “It’s a misnomer to think that only sickly kids get complications from the flu.”
During the 2024-25 flu season, 109 children were diagnosed with the rare complication. Last flu season was also a historically bad year for pediatric flu deaths. In 2024-2025, 280 children died from their flu infection, the most flu deaths ever recorded except for the 2009-10 swine flu pandemic.
Full Story: NBC News
