Early post-transplant vaccination with pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in pediatric heart transplant recipients

Pandemic influenza A/H1N1 virus has the potential to cause severe disease in pediatric transplant patients. A pandemic vaccine against H1N1 is effective in immunocompetent children. We investigated the immunogenicity of this vaccine when given in the first six months after heart transplantation. Four patients younger than two yr received two doses of vaccine and one patient older than seven yr received one dose. Titers were obtained using the HAI at baseline and after final immunization. Five patients were enrolled, ages 0.5-7 yr. Median age at the time of transplant was five months (range 3 wk-7 yr). All patients received induction with anti-thymoglobulin and maintenance immunosuppression with tacrolimus, MMF, and prednisone. Patients were immunized with the adjuvanted H1N1 vaccine after heart transplant at median time of nine wk (range 5-23 wk) post-transplant. Three of five developed protective titers against H1N1. A proportion of pediatric patients may respond to influenza vaccine even when immunized in the early post-transplant period.     

Experience of pandemic influenza with H1N1 in children with leukemia

It is not exactly known the risks from infection with pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 in children with leukemia. Here the authors present their experience in 5 children with leukemia. Pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 was detected in 5 patients (F/M: 3/2) at their institution. The ages of these patients were between 2 and 16 years. Four had acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 1 acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML). Three of the ALL patients had the diagnosis of pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 at the same time as they were diagnosed with ALL. The remaining 2 patients were receiving intensive chemotherapy. All patients had fever, rhinorrhea, and cough. Although bronchopneumonia was seen in 3 patients, only 1 revealed respiratory distress. Stomach ache and diarrhea was seen in the patient who had no pneumonia. All treated as inpatients, but none of them required hospitalization in intensive care unit. One to 3 days after the symptoms of influenza appeared, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) was given to all patients in combination with broad-spectrum antibiotics. Fever declined to normal ranges in 1 to 3 days after treatment was started. The patients received oseltamivir for 5 to 7 days. Cell culture tests were found to be positive for influenza A and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) revealed H1N1 for all 5 patients. Although this is a very small case series, pandemic influenza (H1N1) 2009 did not seem to be very dangerous for children with leukemia if the oseltamivir treatment was given early when symptoms of influenza appeared.     

Comparison of clinical presentation of respiratory tract infections in H1N1/09-positive and H1N1/09-negative patients

The true burden of influenza in children is difficult to assess and is probably underestimated as clinical signs are usually nonspecific, and formal viral identification is rarely searched. In this study, we compare the clinical features of infections related to the new H1N1/09 influenza virus with infections due to other respiratory viruses in children consulting in a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Geneva. Between October 1, 2009 and February 10, 2010, 109 patients were recruited, with a median of age of 7 years (range 0.1–18). There were 75 H1N1/09-positive patients (69%), and 32 (43%) had identified risk factors such as asthma or a history of wheezing. Fever (87%), cough (92%), and rhinitis (85%) were the most frequent reported presenting symptoms in both patient groups. H1N1/09-positive patients were significantly older (median of 8.2 vs. 4.6 years) and were more likely to have risk factors (43% vs. 24%) and myalgias (41% vs. 20%). H1N1/09-negative patients had more wheezing episodes (29% vs. 9%), higher rates of dyspnea (28% vs. 20%) and of hospital admissions (35% vs. 16%). Conclusion: Clinical signs cannot reliably differentiate H1N1/09-positive and H1N1/09-negative patients, although we found a higher proportion of myalgias in H1N1/09-positive patients. Severity of disease was lower in H1N1/09-positive than in H1N1/09-negative patients, mostly because of a higher proportion of asthma/wheezing episodes among H1N1/09-negative patients.     

2009甲型H1N1危重患儿救治体会

2009年11月5日至2009年12月3日,中国医科大学附属盛京医院儿科重症监护室共收治2009甲型H1N1流感(甲流)危重确诊患儿12例~([1]),平均年龄3岁2个月(16个月～8岁),全部病例均有重症肺炎和低氧性呼吸衰竭,6例出现肺气漏,其中合并急性呼吸窘迫综合征(ARDS)并给予机械通气6例,氧合指数(PiO_2/FiO_2)87～148(平均105.5),初调参数吸入氧浓度60%～100%,PIP28～40 cm H_2O(平均32.3 cm H_2O,1 cm H_2O=0.098 kPa),PEEP 10～20 cm H_2O,机械通气时间6～44 d(平均15.5 d).     

儿童甲型H1N1流感的中医药辨治思路

甲型H1N1流感(简称甲流)是一种具有强烈传染性,能够引起大流行的急性传染病,根据其发病、临床表现和流行特点可归属于中医温病、瘟疫范畴.早在2000多年前的中医经典著作<黄帝内经>中就有对此类证候表现的记载:五疫之至,皆相染易,无问大小,病状相似.、病大至,民善暴死.~[1].甲流早期临床症状与流感类似,有发热、咽痛、咳嗽、乏力等,还可出现食少、周身疼痛等症状.病情可迅速进展,出现高热持续不退、合并肺炎等,重者可以出现呼吸衰竭、多器官损伤,甚致死亡~[2].     

儿童2009甲型H1N1流感相关神经系统并发症报道

报道儿童2009甲流H1N1流感相关神经系统并发症的临床特征。方法　对深圳市儿童医院2009 - 11 - 04 - 2010 - 01 - 19因2009甲型H1N1流感住院,并发神经系统并发症的21例患儿进行前瞻性调研,对其临床特征及转归进行总结。结果　在150例儿童危重症2009甲型H1N1流感住院患儿中,神经系统并发症的发生率为14.0%（21/150）,其中脑病18例（85.7%）,惊厥2例（9.5%）,脑炎1例（4.7%）。男14例,女7例;年龄中位数为5岁。12例（57%）入住ICU监护,6例（28.5%）接受气管插管及机械通气。17例80.9%）痊愈出院,1例仍在住院,3例（14%）死于脑病。结论　2009甲型H1N1流感相关神经系统并发症发生率高,严重脑病患儿可以导致死亡。随着2009甲型H1N1流感的流行,这一结果应该引起广泛关注。     

甲型H1N1流感住院儿童20例临床特点及治疗分析

目的探讨儿童甲型H1N1流感的临床特点及治疗措施。方法对2009年11月25日至2010年1月1日住院治疗的20例甲型H1N1流感患儿的发病特点、治疗及转归等资料进行回顾性分析。结果 20例患儿中18例有发热,所有患儿均有咳嗽。合并喉炎3例;肺炎17例,17例中合并急性呼吸窘迫综合征6例,其中2例同时合并休克;合并多脏器功能衰竭(MODS)1例;病毒性脑炎1例。有基础性疾病5例。6例危重症患儿乳酸脱氢酶明显增高,均予气管插管机械通气。所有患儿入院后均予奥司他韦抗病毒、丙种球蛋白、甲泼尼龙等治疗;合并细菌感染4例,予抗生素治疗;合并真菌感染2例,予氟康唑口服。1例患儿放弃治疗死亡,余19例均治愈出院。结论甲型H1N1流感部分病例以喉炎起病,危重症病例合并肺炎、急性呼吸窘迫综合征、呼吸衰竭和休克。重症病例治疗原则应采取早期应用奥司他韦抗病毒、激素和静脉用丙种球蛋白冲击治疗,以及呼吸循环支持治疗为主的综合治疗措施。     

Effectiveness of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine for prevention of otitis media in children

Our aim was to evaluate effectiveness of pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in preventing acute otitis media (AOM) and/or otitis media with effusion (OME), in a randomized, prospective and single-blind study conducted in the children aged of 6–60?months. This study was done between December 1, 2009 and April 30, 2010 during the pandemia between June 2009 and May 2010. On the healthy children, vaccinated against pandemic influenza A/H1N1 and age-matched unvaccinated controls, the rate of AOM, OME, and any otitis media (OM) attack (sum of AOM and OME attacks) confirmed by otoscopic and tympanometric examination, and their associations with risk factors were looked for. Otoscopic and tympanometric evaluation was done twice within the follow-up period of 4–8?weeks. Totally 46 vaccinated and 46 unvaccinated healthy children were enrolled. No difference in rates of AOM, OME, or OM was found between vaccinated and unvaccinated children. But logistic regression analysis revealed that unvaccinated children had 2.9-folds more risk for OME and OM, but not for AOM. Further, male gender and bottle feeding and/or using pacifier revealed significant relationships with AOM. Conclusion: We conclude that pandemic influenza A/H1N1 vaccine prevented OME rather than AOM attacks in children with 6–60?months of age.     

Influenza A/H1N1/09-10 infections in a NICU during the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic

Few cases of the pandemic influenza A H1N1 have been reported in very low birth weight infants. We report here a small outbreak in our NICU of 3 cases of influenza A/H1N1/09-10 in very low birth weight infants during the 2009-2010 H1N1 pandemic and describe their clinical presentations and favorable outcomes despite the lack of treatment.     

11例重症甲型H1N1流感患儿脑电图分析

目的 了解重症甲型H1N1流感患儿的脑电图变化.方法 为我院收治的11例重症甲型H1N1流感患儿在病室内床边记录脑电图,并与同期住院的15例支气管肺炎患儿的脑电图对照.结果 11例重症甲型H1N1流感患儿的脑电图全部异常,对照组支气管肺炎患儿的脑电图53%异常,重症甲型H1N1流感患儿的脑电图异常率明显偏高(P=0.009 8).结论 脑电图检查能够帮助临床发现儿童甲型H1N1流感的中枢神经系统合并症.