Surveillance of severe influenza-associated encephalopathy and related complications in US children

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is seeking information from qualified sources to conduct active surveillance of severe influenza-associated encephalopathy (IAE) among critically ill hospitalized children. The goal is to improve understanding of the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of IAE. The effort would leverage an established U.S.-based pediatric hospital network and include standardized data collection, medical record abstraction, and optional laboratory, radiology, and follow-up activities. Some key aspects of the project include: • Performing surveillance for severe IAE in hospitalized children with laboratory-confirmed influenza • Collecting detailed clinical information on identified IAE cases to assess risk factors for severe disease and describe the disease course • Assessing influenza vaccination status of patients and other information about the hospital course • Leveraging an established pediatric hospital network to recruit critically ill patients • Conducting standardized data collection, medical record abstraction, and optional laboratory, radiology, and follow-up activities