Preventing Acute Necrotizing Encephalopathy (ANE) in children heavily depends on influenza vaccination, which significantly lowers the risk of severe complications and death, especially since most children who died had not been vaccinated.

A recent study of 41 pediatric ANE cases from October 2023 to May 2025 revealed that most children were previously healthy, with a median age of 5, and that 11 succumbed shortly after symptom onset, often with severe brain swelling.

Health experts strongly recommend that everyone aged 6 months and older receive the flu vaccine annually, along with practicing good hygiene, avoiding contact when sick, and wearing masks in crowded indoor settings to reduce respiratory illness spread.

Survivors of ANE often face significant disabilities, and early diagnosis and treatment are vital due to the disease's rapid progression.

While prompt diagnosis and treatment are critical for children with ANE, the exact reason why some develop the condition after the flu remains unknown.

Influenza causes millions of illnesses and hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations annually in the U.S., with fatalities estimated between 37 and 199 children per flu season, primarily affecting vulnerable populations.

The upcoming flu season, starting in October 2025, is expected to cause between 47 million and 82 million illnesses and 610,000 to 1.3 million hospitalizations in the U.S., emphasizing the importance of vaccination.