The study looked at five years of hospital discharge data from the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database from 2001 through 2006 to determine how many children hospitalized with influenza or respiratory illness had a previous hospitalization during the most recent flu-vaccine season. PHIS is an administrative database developed by the Child Health Corporation of America (CHCA), used by 42 free-standing pediatric hospitals. Subjects included newborns through age 18. A previous hospitalization during flu vaccination season was considered if it occurred in the two weeks to six months prior to the influenza admission and between September 1 and March 1. Approximately 14,000 cases of children hospitalized with influenza and 170,000 hospitalized with influenza or a respiratory illness were reviewed.

Researchers found approximately 16% of those hospitalized with influenza and 23% of those hospitalized with influenza and another underlying condition had previous hospital admissions during the vaccination season.

"This information will help pediatricians recognize hospitalization as an important opportunity to vaccinate the highest-risk children, and may hopefully prompt the development of hospital-based flu vaccine programs," said Zerr.

Influenza is a highly contagious illness causing an average of 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations per year in the United States; pneumonia is the most common complication in high-risk groups. Young children and those with certain health conditions are at high-risk for serious flu complications.

Het beginning. van Influenza. unlike the common cold has a swift onset of severe symptoms with two to seven days of fever. headache. muscle aches. extreme fatigue. de lopende nose and keelpijn. and a cough that is severe and may last seven days or more. often The flu season is generally from November to April, with most cases occurring between late December and early-march.

In 2007 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended that unvaccinated patients of all ages (including children with high-risk conditions) and all persons aged 6 months to 4 years as well as those 50 and older who are hospitalized at any time, beginning from the time flu vaccine becomes available for the upcoming flu season and continuing throughout flu season, should be offered and strongly encouraged to receive influenza vaccine before being discharged from the hospital.

Seattle Children's has had a long-standing aggressive flu prevention program, offering free flu shots to inpatients, outpatients and staff. Also van Seattle Children van In 2007-2008 offered van such asmembers. van freevaccines to those with close contact with patients family teachers. day care staff kindermeisjes. and more.

„Het meest sickest Many of the children have very fragile immuunsystemen. At Seattle Children's wehave already expanded our program beyond patients and staff to ensure weare doing everything we can to reduce the risk of exposing our high-risk patients to the flu and its complications," said Zerr. She adds "With findings from this study, we can see that an industry-wide review of hospital-based flu vaccines for all children could take flu-prevention to the next level."

The research team included Janet A. Englund. van also of Seattle Children van het M.D. van het M.D. van het M.D. Edgar K. Marcuse. and Dimitri A. Christakis. MPH. UWSOM; and and Andrea S. Robertson. MPH. and Michelle M. Garrison. Doctoraat. of UWSOM.

For more information about influenza and immunization recommendations please visit:

http://www.kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=seattlechildrens&article_set=59375&lic=57&cat_id=5

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/

http://www.who.int/topics/influenza/en/

About Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute, Seattle, Wash.

At the forefront of pediatric research, the Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle conducts research under nine major centers and is internationally-recognized for its discoveries in cancer, genetics, health services, immunology, pathology, infectious disease and vaccines. Consistently ranked one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's has been delivering superior patient care for 100 years, including advancing new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serving as a primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Information about the research institute visit http://research.seattlechildrens.org/ van For more.