Question: What are the differences between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and influenza infections in children? Finding: Pediatric COVID-19 patients predominantly exhibited respiratory and/or gastrointestinal symptoms, neurological manifestations, olfactory/gustatory dysfunction, elevated monocytes, mildly elevated C-reactive protein, and unilateral or diffuse abnormalities on chest x-ray. Patients with underlying medical conditions had higher intensive care unit admission rates and should be followed closely. Meaning: The clinical presentations of pediatric COVID-19 patients varied from asymptomatic/mild to severe. |
Seasonal influenza can be prevented by vaccination. Disease prevention in children aged <60 months is of particular importance because of the associated familial and societal burden. Considering that caretakers make the decision to vaccinate their children, the identification of drivers and barriers to vaccination is essential to increase influenza vaccination coverage. A total of 639 parents participated in the pre- and... |
Influenza causes acute respiratory infections and various complications. Children in the high-risk group have higher complication and hospitalization rates than high-risk elderly individuals. Influenza prevention in children is important, as they can be a source infection spread in their communities. Influenza vaccination is strongly recommended for high-risk children with chronic underlying circulatory and respiratory disease, immature infants, and children receiving... |
There was a global increase in the prevalence of oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses during the 2007-2008 influenza season. This study was conducted to investigate the occurrence and characteristics of oseltamivir-resistant influenza viruses during the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 influenza seasons among patients who were treated with oseltamivir (group A) and those that did not receive oseltamivir (group B). A prospective study was conducted... |
Neurological complications associated with 2009 H1N1 infection in children have been reported and recognized worldwide. The most commonly reported neurological complications are seizures and encephalopathy. Secondary movement disorders are also associated with the infection, but such cases are rarely reported. Here, we describe the case of a 14-year-old boy with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia secondary to 2009 H1N1 infection, who presented... |
For evaluating the immunogenicity of an influenza vaccine, the microneutralization (MN) test has a higher sensitivity and specificity as compared to the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. However, the MN test is more time consuming and is difficult to standardize. We performed the MN test to determine its usefulness as an alternative or complementary test to the HI test for evaluating... |
Acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE) may be suspected when a young child presents with abrupt onset of altered mental status, seizures, or both. Definitive clinical diagnosis is based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results. ANE is associated with influenza virus infections. Preliminary data suggests that up to 25% of ANE patients die, and up to 25% of ANE survivors develop substantial... |
Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that typically follows an infection or vaccination and has a favorable long-term prognosis. We describe the first reported case of ADEM after vaccination against novel influenza A (H1N1). A previously healthy 34-month-old boy who developed ADEM presented with a seizure and left-sided weakness 5 days after... |
In autumn 2009, the swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus spread throughout South Korea. The aims of this study were to determine the clinical characteristics of children infected by the 2009 H1N1 influenza A virus, and to compare the rapid antigen and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests. We conducted a retrospective review of patients ≥18 years of age who presented to... |
A 3-year-old girl with acute respiratory distress syndrome due to a H1N1 2009 influenza virus infection was complicated by necrotizing pneumonia was successfully treated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This is the first reported case in which a pediatric patient was rescued with ECMO during the H1N1 influenza epidemic in Korea in 2009. |
Natural history and consequences of the novel 2009 influenza A H1N1 (2009 H1N1) infection in immunocompromised pediatric patients are not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the clinical features and outcomes of the 2009 H1N1 infection in pediatric patients with hematological and oncological diseases. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 528 patients who had hematological and oncological diseases... |
This study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics of children diagnosed with the novel influenza A (H1N1) in the winter of 2009 at a single medical institution. Out of 545 confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) in children, using the real time RT-PCR method at Kosin University Gospel Hospital from September to December of 2009, 149 patients and their medical records... |
Purpose : Although oseltamivir is widely used for treatment of influenza, few clinical studies of its efficacy and resistance have been performed in Korea. We evaluated the safety, side effects, and efficacy of oseltamivir treatment in Korean pediatric patients. Methods : We analyzed 321 children diagnosed with influenza at Busan St. Mary's Medical Center, Korea, between January 2008 and June... |
Purpose : The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of asymptomatic nasopharyngeal carriages in children using a multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (mRT-PCR) assay kit. Methods : We obtained nasopharyngeal swabs from 33 children without any underlying disease from July 25 to July 28, 2008. The children were free from the signs of respiratory tract infections at the... |
Since its identification in April 2009, a swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus (S-OIV) which is a reassortment of gene segments from both North American triple-reassortant and Eurasian swine influenza has been widely spread among humans in unexpected rapidity. To date, each gene segment of the 2009 influenza A (H1N1) outbreak viruses have shown high (99.9%) neucleotide sequence identity. As of July 6, 94,512... |
Purpose : Febrile convulsions are a common pediatric neurological disease, and it is important to prevent such a disease by controlling the risk factors that may recur. A recent report states that influenza virus infections have a high probability of a relationship with febrile convulsions; therefore, it is necessary to identify the clinical properties of febrile convulsions in relation to... |
Purpose : Despite the seriousness of bacterial meningitis in children, there is little information on the incidence, causative organisms, mortality rate and age distribution. We studied the frequency by age group and causal pathogens, and clinical characteristics in children with bacterial meningitis in the private sector in Korea. Methods : The medical records containing the data on bacterial meningitis patients... |
Purpose : Antibody persistence after primary series of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine and responses to boosters are seldom studied in Korean children. We performed this study to evaluate the antibody titer in relation to booster immunization of Hib vaccine in Korean children. Method : One hundred forty four children aged 12-23 months were enrolled in three university hospitals. The... |
Purpose : The purpose of this study was to analyze the epidemiology, causative organism, clinical manifestation and prognosis of bacterial meningitis for children after the introduction of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine in Daejeon and Chungcheong area. Methods : We analyzed retrospectively 53 medical records who had been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis at 10 general or university hospitals... |
Purpose : This study was conducted to validate enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the quantitative measurement of human IgG antibodies specific for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide. Method : We evaluated specificity, repeatability, intermediate precision, accuracy, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), and stability to validate standardized EIA for the quantitative measurement of human anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate (PRP) IgG antibodies. Results :... |
Haemophilus influenzae type b(Hib) conjugate vaccines prevent Hib disease in individuals and reduce the carriage and transmission of the organism in the community. The incidence of Hib disease has been decreased dramatically in a diverse range of countries through the use of a variety of conjugate vaccines and vaccine schedules. In some countries, the vaccine has caused a near-disappearance of... |
Purpose : Influenza is a respiratory disease which prevails widely every year and shows high morbidity and mortality among not only chronic invalids and the old, but also among infants and young children. To prevent community-acquired influenza infection, to facilitate prompt antiviral therapy and to avoid unnecessary use of antibiotics, an easy, rapid diagnostic method for the influenza virus is... |
Purpose : Although influenza is one of the most important causes of acute respiratory tract infections in children, effective antiviral therapies are not common and there are only a few clinical studies on treatment of influenza in children. We evaluated the efficacy of oseltamivir in the treatment of naturally aquired influenza in children during the first half of 2004 in... |
Purpose : This study was performed to characterize the etiology and clinical features of acute viral lower-respiratory tract infections(LRI). Methods : Etiologic agents and clinical features of acute viral LRI were studied from October. 2003 through March. 2004 in hospitalized children with LRI(253 cases) at Samsung Cheil Hospital. The viruses were identified by indirect immunofluorescent method. Medical records of patients with... |
Purpose : Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses in children. The great majority of these infections involving lower respiratory tracts infections(LRTIs) are caused by respiratory viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus(RSV), parainfluenza virus(PIV), influenza virus (Flu), and adenovirus(ADV), etc. Our purpose was to determine seasonal epidemiology and clinical characteristic features of each viral infection. Methods : Nasopharyngeal aspirate(NPA)s... |
Purpose : During epidemics, influenza induces a high mortality and morbidity, and when influenza is prevalent, it is revealed by increased pneumonia, hospitalization due to influenza-like illness, and mortality in community. We aimed at the isolation of influenza virus and prevalence period in Busan from 2000 to 2002. Methods : For 3 years from 2000 to 2002, we analyzed the patterns... |
Purpose : This study was performed to assess the difference of organisms causing bacterial meningitis according to time. Methods : We analyzed retrospectively 40 medical records of bacteriologically proven meningitis from 1992 to 2002. We divided them into two groups; neonate's group(14 cases), and children's group(26 cases). The results of the neonate's group were compared with those of previously reported articles... |
Influenza-associated encephalopathy is regarded as one of the major neurologic disease entities along with those of Reye syndrome, acute necrotizing encephalopathy, and myelitis which are known to be related to influenza virus, mostly type A. And it is being actively researched in Japan as it has caused a tremendous increase in the number of deaths from 1997 to 2002, but... |
Purpose : Although influenza virus is one of the most important causes of acute respiratory tract infections(ARTIs) in children, virus isolation is not popular and there are only a few clinical studies on influenza in Korea. We evaluated the epidemiologic and clinical features of ARTIs by influenza virus in children. Methods : From February 1995 to August 2001, nasopharyngeal aspirations were... |
Purpose : Haemophilus influenzae, one of the normal flora of the upper respiratory tract, can cause such infections as otitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, and meningitis in children. The oropharyngeal flora has therefore mainly been analyzed as a reservoir for pathogens. This study was performed to reveal the colonization rate of H. influenzae in the upper respiratory tract, their biotypes, their antimicrobial... |