Abstract
This article represents the second update to the AMMI Canada Guidelines document on the use of antiviral drugs for influenza. The article aims to inform health care professionals of the increased risk for influenza in long-term care facilities due to a documented mismatch between the components chosen for this season's vaccine and currently circulating influenza strains. Adjusted recommendations for the use of antiviral drugs for influenza in the acute care setting for this season are provided.
Highlights
The purpose of this document is to provide an update on the management of patients in the acute care setting infected with influenza viruses circulating in Canada during the 2014-2015 influenza season
Why the need for an update? Clinical trials with the neuraminidase inhibitors (NIs) oseltamivir and zanamivir and and meta-analyses of oseltamivir therapy administered within 36 h to 48 h of symptom onset to low-risk outpatients with influenza have shown that overall, these agents shorten the duration of symptoms by 1 to 1.5 days [1,2,3,4]
Systematic reviews of studies investigating the efficacy of NIs in treating mild to moderate influenza illness in outpatients have not adequately addressed the significantly greater benefit of NI treatment in very ill hospitalized patients, nor the greater benefit of earlier treatment after onset of symptoms [4]
Summary
The purpose of this document is to provide an update on the management of patients in the acute care setting infected with influenza viruses circulating in Canada during the 2014-2015 influenza season. Vaccinated individuals may present to acute care facilities with influenza-like illness (ILI) and require treatment with NI. *Please note that antivirals are not authorized for the routine treatment of seasonal influenza illness in infants
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