Paediatric specialists warn that influenza can severely impact children, emphasising the importance of annual vaccination and early recognition of symptoms amid rising annual case numbers and changing virus strains in Vietnam.
Influenza is often dismissed as a routine winter illness, but paediatric specialists warn that it can turn severe quickly, even in children who were previously healthy. Pham Cong Khac, deputy director of the Paediatrics Centre at Bach Mai Hospital, said the infection can range from mild symptoms to life-threatening complications, and should not be treated like an ordinary cold.
Children with flu often develop fever, cough, sore throat, blocked or runny nose, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion. In younger children, the signs may be less typical, with irritability, poor feeding, vomiting, diarrhoea or unusual drowsiness. In more serious cases, the illness can lead to ear infections, sinusitis, dehydration, pneumonia, respiratory failure, myocarditis, encephalitis, seizures, rhabdomyolysis, shock and multi-organ failure, sometimes requiring intensive care and ventilation.
The CDC says the highest-risk groups include children under 5, especially those under 2, along with youngsters who have chronic heart, lung, neurological, liver or kidney conditions, diabetes, metabolic disorders or weakened immune systems. But Khac cautioned that severe flu is not limited to children with underlying illness: some who seemed perfectly well before infection can still deteriorate. Parents should seek urgent medical help if a child develops breathing difficulty, rapid breathing, blue lips, marked lethargy, trouble waking, seizures, poor drinking, repeated vomiting, dehydration, or a high fever and cough that worsen again after initial improvement.
Vaccination remains the most effective way to reduce the risk of severe flu, according to Khac and the CDC. The paediatrician said annual flu shots can lower the chance of infection, reduce hospital visits and admissions, and, most importantly, cut the risk of dangerous complications. A 2026 study in Pediatrics, analysing child flu deaths in the United States from 2016 to 2025, found that fully vaccinated children had about an 80% lower risk of dying from influenza than those who were not fully vaccinated. The CDC recommends yearly vaccination for everyone aged 6 months and older, with some children aged 6 months to 8 years needing two doses in a season if they have not completed the initial course.
Health officials also note that protection does not begin immediately after vaccination, usually taking about 2 weeks to build. Because flu viruses keep changing, vaccine formulations are updated each year, and immunity can wane over time. Alongside vaccination, doctors advise regular handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding close contact with sick people, keeping living spaces well ventilated, keeping children at home when they are febrile or have respiratory symptoms, and not using antibiotics against a virus. In Vietnam, flu can occur year-round and often rises when the weather changes, making prevention and early recognition especially important.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
