CDC requests info about acute encephalopathy associated with flu virus

December 16, 2003

December 15, 2003

CDC REQUESTS INFORMATION ABOUT ACUTE ENCEPHALOPATHY ASSOCIATED

WITH INFLUENZA VIRUS INFECTION IN U.S. CHILDREN

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published

" Notice to Readers: Request for Information About Acute

Encephalopathy Associated with Influenza Virus Infection in U.S.

Children " in the December 12 issue of " Morbidity and Mortality

Weekly Report " (MMWR). The notice is reprinted below in its

entirety, excluding references.

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Since the mid-1990s, several hundred cases of acute

encephalopathy have been reported in Japanese children with

influenza virus infection. These cases have been characterized

by fever and rapid onset of encephalopathy, resulting in a high

frequency of neurologic sequelae and mortality. The majority of

the children have had laboratory-confirmed evidence of

influenza.

Reports of influenza-associated encephalopathy have been

uncommon in the United States. To determine if a similar pattern

is occurring in the United States, CDC is requesting information

on any case meeting certain criteria. The criteria include a

person aged less than 18 years with altered mental status or

personality change lasting more than 24 hours and occurring

within 5 days of onset of an acute febrile respiratory illness,

laboratory or rapid diagnostic test evidence of acute influenza

virus infection associated with the respiratory illness, and

diagnosis of the condition in the United States. Cases meeting

these criteria should be reported to CDC [telephone,

(404) 639-0277 or (404) 639-2893; fax, (404) 639-3866; or

e-mail, tmu0@... or nib9@...].

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To access a web-text (HTML) version of the complete article, go

To access a ready-to-copy (PDF) version of this issue of MMWR,

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