Kids 14 Times More Likely than Elderly to Get Swine Flu.

By Shirley S. Wang

One of the unusual things about the swine flu is that it often strikes young, healthy people, while skipping over the elderly.

The most recent evidence comes today from the Chicago Department of Public health, which reports that kids between 5 and 14 were 14 times more likely than the those over 60 to come down with with the H1N1 pandemic flu. The overall rate of kids with confirmed cases was quite low — 147 per 100,000 — but officials say that is likely an underestimate, because many people who got the flu were never tested and not included in confirmed case counts.

The report, published today in the MMWR, summarized laboratory-confirmed cases of infection between April 24 — when it first began “enhanced surveillance” for the virus — and July 25, and provided clinical data for some of those cases.

The majority of diagnosed patients experienced fever and cough; far fewer reported sore throat or shortness of breath.

“These findings affirm prevention strategies that target children and young adults, who are at a disproportionate risk for infection and hospitalization,” write the authors. Those priorities are reflected in the CDC’s recommendations on H1N1 flu vaccinations.

Image of H1N1 swine flu by C. S. Goldsmith and A. Balish via CDC