COVID-19 and Influenza Deaths in Australian Children 2018-2023: A National Case Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Understanding COVID-19 and influenza severity in children is essential to inform future public health strategies, including vaccination. We aimed to estimate and compare mortality rates attributable to COVID-19 and influenza in the Australian pediatric population.

Methods

A case series of children aged <18 years hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 or influenza and recorded as deceased. COVID-19 cases were ascertained January 2020-September 2023 and influenza, seasonally, from 2018 to September 2023 at 8 sentinel children's hospitals in Australia. Cases were assessed by an expert panel to determine the causal attributability of each virus to death, and those with primary or contributory causal attribution were used to calculate an attributable proport

SUBMITTER: McRae JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12650510 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature