Open AccessA PAEDIATRIC DEATH DUE TO MENINGITIS-AN AUTOPSY DIAGNOSIS OF A RARE COMPLICATION OF INFLUENZA B INFECTION
Author(s) -
S. R. Hulathduwa,
Nirmal Borukgama
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
international journal of research - granthaalayah
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2394-3629
pISSN - 2350-0530
DOI - 10.29121/granthaalayah.v9.i4.2021.3905
Subject(s) - medicine , meningitis , transmission and infection of h5n1 , myocarditis , virology , influenzavirus b , encephalopathy , encephalitis , virus , pneumonia , complication , influenza a virus , autopsy , orthomyxoviridae , human mortality from h5n1 , immunology , influenza a virus subtype h5n1 , pediatrics , disease , pathology , covid-19 , avian influenza virus , infectious disease (medical specialty)
Influenza virus belongs to a group of single-stranded RNA viruses in the fam- ily Orthomyxoviridae. They are subdivided into four types as A, B, C and D. As Influenza B is considered a milder form of infection not known to be caus- ing pandemics compared to Influenza A, it is equally a less researched topic than Influenza A. However, few studies have shown that the mortality associ- ated with pediatric Influenza B infection is equal to or sometimes even greater than the mortality associated with Influenza A. Complications of Influenza A or B virus infection include pneumonia, myositis, myocarditis and encephali- tis/encephalopathy. Influenza-associated encephalitis/encephalopathy (IAE) is a rare complication of Influenza infection which is commoner following infec- tion with type A. This case elaborates a death of a three-year-old child due to meningoencephalitis following Influenza Type B infection.