Study shows use of antiviral treatment for children hospitalized with influenza has sharply declined during the COVID-19 pandemic published last week Pediatrics.

Before the pandemic (December 2016 to March 2020), 48% to 57% of hospitalized children received influenza antiviral drugs, but a team led by researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center found that 38% of these children received the drugs in 2021-2022 and 46% in 2022-2023.

Before the pandemic, antiviral drug use had been steadily increasing for several years. Research shows that antiviral drugs may reduce the number of days children experience flu symptoms and reduce the risk of complications.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and other expert groups recommend prompt antiviral treatment for children hospitalized with suspected or confirmed influenza. suffering from a serious illness. or who are at high risk for influenza complications, even if they do not have a confirmed diagnosis.

The study of 1,560 children hospitalized with influenza found that children were more likely to receive antiviral drugs if they had an underlying medical condition, had received an influenza vaccination, received a clinical influenza test, were directly admitted to an intensive care unit, and had symptoms for two or more days before receiving treatment.

The antiviral drugs included in the study, which was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), were oseltamivir, peramivir, baloxavir, and zanamivir.

Influenza vaccinations also decline during pandemic

The proportion of hospitalized children vaccinated against seasonal influenza decreased from 47% before the pandemic to 33% during the late pandemic period from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2023.

The study did not investigate the reasons “for the decline” in antiviral drugs, but the researchers noted that misinformation and distrust of the health care system have increased during the pandemic. They also suggested that parents and health care providers “may underestimate the severity of influenza in children, perceiving influenza as a self-limiting illness despite evidence of severe complications, including hospitalization and death, even in healthy children.”