PHILADELPHIA, Jun 15, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Flu sufferers, especially
children, are at risk of potentially deadly bacterial infections, a top doctor
at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia says.
The outbreak of H1N1 virus, or swine flu, means the medical community and the
public need to remain alert to secondary infections, particularly strep
pneumoniae, said Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, chief of allergy and immunology at
Children's Hospital.
Many children who die from flu complications have a virus that paralyzes the
part of their immune system designed to protect them against bacterial invaders,
said Sullivan's study, reported this month in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.
The study echoes reports showing that up to 95 percent of the nearly 50 million
victims of the 1918 flu pandemic died from secondary bacterial pneumonia, which
invaded people weakened by the flu virus, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported
Monday.
Bacterial pneumonia remains a major threat today, despite antibiotics, doctors
told the Post-Gazette.
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