CDC Interim Guidance—Children and Pregnant Women: Considerations for Clinicians

Interim Guidance—Children and Pregnant Women who may be Infected with
Swine-Origin Influenza Virus: Considerations for Clinicians

Today CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for
children and pregnant women who may be infected with a new influenza
virus of swine origin that is spreading in the U.S. and internationally.
Children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high
risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza.

New Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Children
Little is currently known about how swine-origin influenza viruses
(S-OIV) may affect children. However, we know from seasonal influenza
and past pandemics that young children, especially those younger than 5
years of age and children who have high risk medical conditions, are at
increased risk of influenza-related complications.
Illnesses caused by influenza virus infection are difficult to
distinguish from illnesses caused by other respiratory pathogens based
on symptoms alone. Young children are less likely to have typical
influenza symptoms (e.g., fever and cough) and infants may present to
medical care with fever and lethargy, and may not have cough or other
respiratory symptoms or signs.
The new interim guidance for clinicians on the prevention and treatment
of swine influenza in young children is available at
http://www.cdcgov/swineflu/childrentreatment.htm


New Interim Clinical Guidance for the Treatment of Pregnant Women
Evidence that influenza can be more severe in pregnant women comes from
observations during previous pandemics and from studies among pregnant
women who had seasonal influenza. An excess of influenza-associated
deaths among pregnant women were reported during the pandemics of
1918–1919 and 1957–1958. Adverse pregnancy outcomes have been
reported following previous influenza pandemics, with increased rates of
spontaneous abortion and preterm birth reported, especially among women
with pneumonia. Case reports and several epidemiologic studies conducted
during interpandemic periods also indicate that pregnancy increases the
risk for influenza complications for the mother and might increase the
risk for adverse perinatal outcomes or delivery complications.
The new interim guidance for clinicians for the treatment of influenza
in pregnant women is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/clinician_pregnant.htm.

Background
Human infections with the newly identified S-OIV that is spreading among
humans were first identified in April 2009 with cases in the United
States and Mexico. The epidemiology and clinical presentations of these
infections are currently under investigation. There are insufficient
data available at this point to determine who is at higher risk for
complications of S-OIV infection. However because pregnant women and
children are known to be at higher risk for complications during
seasonal influenza complications and during prior pandemics, it is
reasonable to assume that these groups of people may be at higher risk
for complications from infection with this new virus.

Additional Information
For additional information about the current influenza outbreak, see:
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
For additional information about CDC’s investigation of the current H1N1
outbreak, see http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm

This information is also available by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO.

For more information about swine flu: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu
Additional information is also available by calling 1-800-CDC-INFO.