A flu complication that caused 21 pediatric deaths last season

Flu season is in full swing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting an upward weekly trend in patients admitted to hospitals with influenza. During the first week of December, the CDC also reported the first pediatric flu-associated death of the 2025-2026 season.

In addition to fever, muscle aches, fatigue and other common symptoms of the flu, the virus poses the risk of serious complications, particularly among high-risk groups, like children. One of those complications, influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE), led to 21 pediatric deaths last flu season.

Triggered by an influenza infection, IAE causes dysfunction of the brain, confusion and seizures, among a host of other neurological issues. The most severe form of IAE, acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), is responsible for 15 of the 21 reported pediatric IAE deaths last flu season. Of the 109 cases of IAE during 2024-2025, more than half were among children who were previously healthy.

“Parents should be aware that symptoms of IAE cause sudden confusion, high fever, jerking movements, hallucinations, altered consciousness, personality changes, and movement problems, often after initial flu symptoms,” says Dr. Emma Olivera, a pediatrician at Advocate Children’s Hospital.

She says the best way to protect against the flu and its complications, like IAE, is to get vaccinated each year.

“The 2024-2025 flu season was exceptionally severe in the U.S., marking the highest number of pediatric flu deaths ever recorded for a non-pandemic year. Getting vaccinated against the flu each year reduces the severity of symptoms and prevents death, especially in children and older adults.”