Buda S, Haas W, Buchholz U (2008): Epidemiologie der Influenza bei Kindern in Deutschland
Pädiat. Praxis 72 (1): 105-113.

Epidemiology of influenza in children in Germany

Influenza in children is a clinically important and epidemiologically frequently underestimated disease. For the clinical diagnosis of influenza knowledge of the epidemiological situation is crucial, for example because the predictive value on the grounds of symptoms alone is very high during an influenza epidemic. Data on the influenza situation are published regularly by the »Arbeitsgemeinschaft Influenza« (AGI; www.influenza.rki.de) that draws its information from a sentinel system of primary care physicians who report acute respiratory diseases and take virological samples from a subset of patients. The excess number and cumulative incidence of consultations and hospitalizations are estimated. The results of the epidemics 2003/04 until 2006/07 were analysed and compared with other national and international studies. Compared to adults children had in all four seasons a higher cumulative excess consultation incidence ranging from 3% to 25% depending on season and age group. Among the children those aged 2 to 4 years had higher values than the children aged 0 to 1 year and 5 to 14 years when H3N2-dominated seasons (2003/04, 2004/05 and 2006/07) are considered. Influenza-attributed hospitalisations per 100000 population were highest in children aged 0 to 1 year (200-300) followed by those aged 2 to 4 years (30-130). Children aged 5 to 14 years had values similarly low as adults. Comparison with other national and international studies demonstrates that the estimates of the AGI are similar. Our data show the substantial burden of disease due to influenza in childhood. The timely collection, analysis and publication of surveillance data assist primary care physicians to come to a correct diagnostic decision.