Fewer children die from swine flu in December

By David Liu

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted a H1N1 update on its website on Dec 31 saying two children died from swine flu during the week from Dec 20 to 26.

The virus was confirmed in the laboratory to be the 2009 H1N1 virus for which a number of swine flu vaccines have been developed and used worldwide.

Compared to the number of deaths reported early, the fatality reported for this week is small.  Since Aug 30, a total of 183 deaths have been caused by the 2009 H1N1 flu virus.

The CDC did not elaborate on the health statuses of the pediatric victims or their vaccination statuses.  It is also unknown whether these two children received any antiviral treatment.

According to an early report by the health agency, the majority of children who died from swine flu suffered chronic health conditions. And it is also apparent that delayed antiviral treatment may not be effective in helping pediatric patients infected with swine flu.

Dr. John Cannell, a vitamin D expert of Vitamin D Council, says in one of his newsletters that “almost two-thirds of our dead children (from H1N1 virus) had epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or other neurodevelopmental conditions like mental retardation.”

Overall during the past week, the H1N1 flu I had been disappearing from the "surveillance radar" and many states did not report large numbers of hospitalization and deaths from swine flu.

According to the CDC H1N1 update, visits to doctors however increased slightly this week over last week while the overall rates of hospitalizations remained the same nationwide.

On Dec 31, the HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a video message to the public encouraging all Americans to get the swine flu vaccine.

Seblius said that people under the age of 25 years are particularly vulnerable to the H1N1 virus and "getting the H1N1 vaccine is the best way to protect yourself, and those you care about from the H1N1 virus.”