Flu sufferers prone to bacterial infection

PHILADELPHIA, June 15 (UPI) -- Flu sufferers, especially children, are at risk of potentially deadly bacterial infections, a top doctor at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia says.

The outbreak of H1N1 virus, or swine flu, means the medical community and the public need to remain alert to secondary infections, particularly strep pneumoniae, said Dr. Kathleen Sullivan, chief of allergy and immunology at Children's Hospital.

Many children who die from flu complications have a virus that paralyzes the part of their immune system designed to protect them against bacterial invaders, said Sullivan's study, reported this month in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

The study echoes reports showing that up to 95 percent of the nearly 50 million victims of the 1918 flu pandemic died from secondary bacterial pneumonia, which invaded people weakened by the flu virus, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Monday.

Bacterial pneumonia remains a major threat today, despite antibiotics, doctors told the Post-Gazette.