The objective of the present study was to determine the impact of influenza virus on pediatric hospitalized patients. We retrospectively reviewed records of children with laboratory diagnoses, by cell culture and/or indirect immunofluorescence assay, of influenza virus seen in a period of 6 years. A total of 1,033 samples were analyzed, 45 (4.3%) of them being reactive to influenza virus. Thirty-one samples were positive to influenza A virus and 14 to influenza B. The frequency of hospitalization in intensive care and medical emergency was found to be high. Three (8.6%) patients died, two of them due to respiratory failure. Low frequency of influenza virus infection was observed in the study. The data suggest the need of more efficient epidemiological surveillance measures in order to obtain reliable information to better assess the impact of the virus on our region and determine the need of preventive measures, such as immunization.
Respiratory infection; influenza virus; indirect immunofluorescence; children
