Two-year-old girl hospitalized in intensive care with a complication of influenza

In depth

A two-year-old girl, with no background illnesses and who was not vaccinated against influenza, was hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem due to a rare complication of the illness. The girl had fever and vomiting for about a day, and later began to have seizures.

Tests revealed that she developed a syndrome causing a dangerous drop in sodium levels in the blood, which can lead to seizures and a risk to life. The hospital said her condition is stable and she is improving.

At Shaare Zedek hospital, ten influenza patients are currently hospitalized, three of them in intensive care. Since the start of the season, 182 children have been hospitalized due to influenza, seven of them in intensive care. A senior physician said: "Influenza can lead to serious harm and even endanger life."