Watch infants carefully for signs of the flu

Infants 5 months of age and younger aren’t old enough to get influenza shots, so physicians say parents should be alert for signs of danger as swine flu continues to spread.

Emphasis on being watchful for signs of trouble, such as problems with breathing, comes as swine flu continues to sicken children, causing illnesses and hospitalizations.

“If you have a young infant having high fevers, that’s a good reason to call the doctor,” said Dr. Danielle Zerr, an infectious disease expert at Seattle Children’s hospital.

Officials with the Snohomish Health District and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office on Thursday announced they are investigating whether the death of a 5-month-old Tulalip infant who died on Tuesday may be linked to swine flu.

Influenza complications contributed to the boy’s death.

Further tests are being conducted, said Carolyn Sanden, spokeswoman for the medical examiner.

If influenza is found to be the cause of death, tests will be conducted to determine if it was swine flu, also called H1N1 influenza, said Dr. Gary Goldbaum, health officer for the Snohomish Health District.

Public health staff will talk to doctors and other medical staff who treated the child, to find out what led up to the child’s death, he said.

Last month, about 6 percent of patients hospitalized for swine flu at Seattle Children’s were 6 months or younger, Zerr said. The hospital specializes in treating children 18 and younger.

Infants are vulnerable to viruses for several reasons. Physically, babies have smaller airways, so they’re less able to handle respiratory tract infections, she said.

In addition, their immune systems are still developing so they’re less able to fight off an infection.

Parents should avoid exposing babies to people who are ill or crowds of people, especially during fall and winter when viruses are circulating, she said.

“You might take that further and … avoid passing the baby around in new groups of people,” Zerr said.

Parents should be extra diligent about frequently washing their hands or using hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs, she said.

Problems with an infant’s breathing or taking in liquids should also be checked out by a doctor. When babies get sick with respiratory infections, they have a hard time eating and breathing, Zerr said.

“That’s true for any respiratory infection, including flu,” she said.

The Tulalip case is a reminder of just how lethal influenza can be, even if the swine flu virus is ruled out as a cause of death.

Since mid-September, 19 people have died from swine flu in the state. Numbers of people who died from the virus during the spring outbreak are not included in the total.

“It can affect our very youngest,” Goldbaum said. “We can’t let up our vigil to protect against the spread of influenza and complications from it.”

Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486, salyer@heraldnet.com.