Serious Infections Follow Swine Flu
Health officials are seeing a worrying pattern of serious bacterial infections in swine flu patients, mostly among younger adults not normally vulnerable to them, reports Reuters.
“We are seeing an increase of serious pneumococcal infections around the country,” Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters.
“That is the serious type of pneumococcal disease where the bacteria invades the blood and other internal sites,” she said.
A close look in Denver showed 58 cases of serious Streptococcus pneumonia infections in October, a month when usually about 20 cases are seen, Schuchat said. And while such infections normally affect people over 65, these were almost all among people under 60, she said.
According to Reuters, these so-called secondary infections can follow infection with a virus such as flu and often are seen among people who die from influenza.
