Overview

• A Stanford-led JAMA study documented 41 cases of influenza-associated ANE in children across 23 U.S. hospitals from October 2023 to May 2025.
• Twenty-seven percent of affected children died, most within a week of illness onset, and 63 percent of survivors had moderate to severe disability three months later.
• Rapid treatment with high-dose steroids and plasma exchange was associated with improved outcomes by curbing brain swelling and overactive immune responses.
• Only 16 percent of the children had received seasonal flu vaccines, well below the roughly 50 percent national pediatric vaccination rate.
• Experts and CDC collaborators are urging that ANE be designated a nationally notifiable condition to ensure consistent reporting and earlier detection.