Just Over Half of Children Hospitalized With Flu Receive Antivirals
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Dec. 20, 2024 -- Just over half of children hospitalized with influenza receive antivirals, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
James W. Antoon, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues conducted active surveillance of children presenting with fever or respiratory symptoms from Dec. 1, 2016, to March 31, 2020, at seven pediatric medical centers to examine the frequency of and factors associated with antiviral receipt among hospitalized children. Data were included for 1,213 children with laboratory-confirmed influenza.
The researchers found that 53.8 percent of children received an antiviral. About 63.0 percent of children received clinical influenza testing; 67.4 percent of those with clinical testing received an antiviral. Hematologic disorders, oncologic/immunocompromising disorders, prehospitalization antiviral receipt, clinical influenza testing, and intensive care unit admission were factors associated with higher odds of antiviral receipt (adjusted odds ratios, 1.76, 2.41, 2.34, 3.07, and 1.53, respectively). The odds of antiviral treatment receipt were lower in association with symptom duration longer than two days (adjusted odds ratio, 0.40). There was variation seen in antiviral receipt by site, with a fivefold difference observed across sites.
"Future studies could focus on identifying barriers to treatment and improving clinical influenza testing, providing antiviral treatment for children with influenza-associated hospitalizations with >2 days of symptoms, and standardizing care both within and across institutions," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted December 2024
Read this next
Virtual Reality Training Module May Aid Infection Control Efforts
TUESDAY, June 17, 2025 -- Users report positive experiences and engagement with a virtual reality tool that trains clinicians on core concepts in infection control, including...
2,770 Cases of Arboviral Disease Reported in 48 States and D.C. in 2023
TUESDAY, June 17, 2025 -- In 2023, 48 states and the District of Columbia reported 2,770 human arboviral disease cases, with West Nile Virus (WNV) being the most common, according...
Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 May Affect Risk for Alzheimer Disease
THURSDAY, May 22, 2025 -- Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is associated with an increased risk for Alzheimer disease (AD) based on real-world data from the United States...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.