9-year-old child with long-term illness in critical condition after contracting influenza B complicated by shock and pneumonia

The Centre for Health Protection announced a severe case of influenza B in a child. A 9-year-old girl with a long-term illness developed septic shock and severe pneumonia, and is currently hospitalised in the paediatric intensive care unit in critical condition. Preliminary investigations showed that the girl had not travelled abroad during the incubation period and had not yet received this season's seasonal influenza vaccine. Laboratory tests on respiratory samples confirmed a positive result for the influenza B virus.