L’influenza pediatrica può complicarsi. Un caso e uno studio di coorte a Bari

Abstract

Influenza is usually self-limiting, but can cause severe complications in fragile, especially unvaccinated, patients. Neurological complications, although rare, are relatively frequent in children. We report the case of an unvaccinated 7-year-old boy hospitalized for meningoencephalitis complicated by Influenza A H1N1pdm09 and S. pneumoniae co-infection, surgically treated with a favorable outcome. We then present a retrospective cohort study conducted at the Infectious Diseases Unit of Giovanni XXIII Children’s Hospital, Bari, including 68 children hospitalized with PCR-confirmed influenza over two seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25), analyzing vaccination status, co-infections and neurological complications. Vaccine coverage was very low (10%), and neurological manifestations occurred in 24% of patients, higher than previously reported. No deaths occurred. Findings highlight the importance of vaccination and systematic neurological assessment.