Children Suffer Brain Damage From Seasonal Flu in China's Guangdong

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/chi...019121219.html

Children Suffer Brain Damage From Seasonal Flu in China's Guangdong
2019-01-10

Health authorities in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong are battling a wave of seasonal influenza cases that are resulting in brain damage in previously healthy child patients, local media reported.

While the overall number of confirmed cases of influenza has fallen compared with last year, there has been an increase in the number of notifications of necrotizing encephalitis, a complication from viral fever sometimes found in children, reports said.

The Women and Children's Medical Center in Guangdong's provincial capital Guangzhou was overwhelmed with children suffering from the seasonal flu, with at least five confirmed cases of necrotizing encephalitis reported in the facility, Guangzhou's Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper reported.

One three-year-old is in a long-term coma after developing damage to their central nervous system after a two-week hospitalization for H1N1 flu, the paper said...

[sharon sanders]

A snip from a related media report:

It is worth noting that Xu Yi found that the number of children with complications of central nervous system damage such as necrotizing encephalitis and meningitis increased this year. At present, Guangzhou Women and Children Center has confirmed 5 cases of central nervous system damage caused by influenza. Critically ill patients. However, pneumonia still accounts for the majority of cases of flu complications this year.
　　Xu Yi told me that the flu caused necrotizing encephalitis is not common. Parents don't have to panic because their children have a fever. But if the child has a high fever and is unconscious, gibberish, convulsions, etc., parents should pay enough attention. Seek medical attention immediately.


　　For the report that "flu turns to attack the brain of children", Wang Hai (pseudonym), director of the pediatrics department of a top three hospital in Guangzhou, said that "the flu turned to attack the brain of children" is not rigorous. If the flu virus directly attacks the brain and causes encephalitis in the patient, it can be considered as viral encephalitis.
　　However, does the necrotizing encephalitis referred to here refer to the central nervous system complication that occurs after the virus invades the human body? If so, we know that if any virus is infected, if the human body has a severe inflammatory reaction, regardless of whether the virus directly attacks the brain. , may cause brain cell damage, such as herpes virus, EV71, SARS virus.
　　In other words, children with necrotizing encephalitis reported in the report may also be infected with other viruses and have no specificity.
　　Wang Hai believes that at present, there are only a few patients in Guangzhou who suffer from central nervous system damage caused by influenza virus, which will cause experts to be alert; most of the influenza viruses still attack the respiratory system, and the main complication is pneumonia.

http://news.southcn.com/nfplus/yyl/content/2019-01/09/content_184776025.htm

[Pathfinder]

Translation Google

The flu virus turned to the brain of the child? Don't panic, the CDC has ridiculed!

Source : Zhongxin.com Time: 2019-01-12 18:08


Yangcheng Evening News reporter Fengxixi correspondent Yue Weixin Yuekang

Entering the seasonal epidemic of influenza, the number of influenza patients in major hospitals has increased significantly. Recently, the saying that "the flu virus has turned to attack the brain of children" has spread on the Internet, which has caused many parents to worry and worry. In response, the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest situation of the flu epidemic on the 11th, indicating that the flu virus is still mainly attacking the respiratory system, and the proportion of related encephalitis cases has not changed. Many experts also pointed out that the "influenza virus turned to attack the brain" is not accurate.

CDC

There is no change in the proportion of related encephalitis cases

For the recently-mentioned "flu turns to attack the children's brain", the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control immediately formed a professional team with the Guangzhou City and Yuexiu District CDC to go to the Guangzhou Women and Children Medical Center to carry out relevant investigations and sampling tests. The results of the survey showed that from 2016 to 2018, the proportion of cases of nervous system damage in the three years of hospitalized influenza cases accounted for no significant change in the proportion of influenza cases.

Song Tie, deputy director of the Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that from the monitoring situation in the province, the current influenza virus is still mainly attacking the respiratory system, and the clinical manifestations of most influenza cases are mild. Song Tie pointed out: "There is an article saying that 'flu is a fatal disease'. This statement is inaccurate. From the systematic monitoring data, most of the current influenza cases are mild. A few develop severely ill patients, mainly The complication is pneumonia. After the global pandemic in 2009, the population has established an immune barrier. Of course, as the newborn is born, the susceptible population is also increasing, and it is necessary to focus on protection."

Doctor expert

Encephalitis is a complication rather than a virus attacking the brain

Doctors and experts have doubts that the "influenza virus turned to attack the brain" is not accurate.

Professor Shu Yuelong, dean of the School of Public Health (Shenzhen) of Sun Yat-sen University and deputy director of the WHO New Infectious Disease Surveillance Research and Training Cooperation Center, said that it is not the virus that ?turns to attack the brain?, but the flu may have caused complications such as encephalitis. Such cases have been recorded in the data of the past 100 years. "The flu is an ancient infectious disease, no need to panic." He said that the key is to find early treatment.

Influenza as a inflammatory disease, the inflammatory factors produced in the pathological process of the influenza expert group of Guangdong Province and the group of clinical experts of influenza intensive care, director of the Institute of Geriatrics of Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital and director of the Department of Internal Medicine. It can spread throughout the body through the blood circulation, causing dysfunction of related system organs other than the lungs. Such as digestive system loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting, circulatory system myocarditis, muscle soreness, fatigue, nervous system consciousness disorder, convulsions. The dysfunction of these system organs, in addition to the virus toxins and various inflammatory factors, is also closely related to fever, internal environment disorders, respiratory disorders, circulatory disorders, drug side effects, original underlying diseases and even genetics. It can be caused by one or more factors, and the severity of clinical manifestations is different. Most patients can be cured and discharged.

Professor Du Qingfeng, dean of Nanhai Hospital of Southern Medical University, revealed that from the clinical cases of hospitals this year, most of the cases were mainly respiratory symptoms, and there were 5 cases of pneumonia, and they did not see "one attack." Symptoms of the brain." He also revealed that the high fever peak of influenza cases in the past was generally 39 ? C -39.5 ? C. "There are several cases where the hot peak is above 40 ? C this year. The body temperature breaks through 40 ? C, and individual children are prone to high temperature convulsions."
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http://news.xnnews.com.cn/gnxw2/sxbt/201901/t20190112_1530612.shtml