Who was the youngest that died from Swine Flu?

Answer 1

Very young infants have died from the H1N1 influenza in the pandemic. A two month old infant in England was one of the early deaths in the pandemic in the UK. Even younger newborns also died of the infection world wide.

The first death of the disease in the US was a toddler from Mexico who died in the Children's Hospital in Houston, TX. Thankfully, although young children were among the groups with the largest number of cases of the flu, they were not the group with the largest number of deaths.

For example, 22 out of every 100,000 cases of H1N1 were children ages 0 to 4 compared to 26.7 per 100,000 cases in the age grouping of 5 -24 (which had the most cases). The lowest number of cases were in the over 65 age group, which is the reverse of the typical seasonal flu cases where the elderly are hit the hardest.

Worldwide, there have been many infant deaths from H1N1. Although accurate counts by age is only available for broader age groupings, for instance those age 0 - 4 years composed only 2% of the deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The age group with the largest number of deaths from the Swine Flu is the group ranging in age from 25 to 49, which suffered approximately 41% of the deaths. 16% of the deaths were among the 5 -24 age group, 24% were in the 50 - 64 age group and 9% were in the over 65 age group (another 9% was designated as "unknown" ages.)

Public education about infection control and disease prevention likely was a key factor in the reduced mortality and morbidity in this particular pandemic. Although the H1N1 virus, which spread rapidly, was less severe and this was also a big factor in the lower mortality rates compared to the seasonal flu.

Prevention is always the best plan, so be sure to get your flu vaccinations and have your children vaccinated as well.

Answer 2

Swine flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, primarily affected younger populations. The youngest reported death from swine flu was a 6-month-old infant.