Kids with epilepsy at higher risk during flu season

3D image of Influenza Virus

The CDC is currently featuring information on how children with neurologic disorders are at higher risk of death from flu. A study on the topic was recently published in Pediatrics, “Neurologic Disorders among Pediatric Deaths Associated with the 2009 Pandemic Influenza, 2012.”

The Buzz
CBS, the AP, U.S. News and World Report, and other outlets across the country have picked up the story so don’t be surprised if you hear about it on the news. These stories give a brief snippet of the connection between epilepsy and flu. For a full picture, I encourage you to read the CDC’s feature on how flu impacts those living with epilepsy

Image of the H1N1 influenza virus taken
in the CDC Influenza Laboratory.

More
If you want a little back-story, you are also welcome to visit my posts on flu and epilepsy from previous years:
Epilepsy and Flu 2009
Epilepsy and Flu 2010

Jessica K. Smith Founder and CEO; Executive Director

Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.

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