LOS ANGELES - A rare but deadly flu complication in children—one that causes severe brain swelling and dangerous immune system overreactions—may be survivable with fast, targeted hospital care, according to a Stanford Medicine-led study published July 30 in JAMA .

The condition, known as influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy (ANE), affected 41 children across 23 U.S. hospitals between 2023 and 2025. ANE is extremely rare but often fatal. More than one in four of the children in the study died, and most survivors faced moderate to severe neurological disability in the months that followed.

Doctors say flu vaccination is critical for preventing such complications.

What is influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy?

The backstory:

ANE is one of the most se

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