January 15, 2013, 16:00 ET

CDCHAN-00339

CDC continues to recommend antiviral medications for treatment of seasonal influenza and annual vaccination as the best tools for prevention.

Evidence from past influenza seasons and the 2009 H1N1 pandemic has shown that treatment with antiviral medications can have clinical and public health benefit in reducing severe outcomes of influenza when initiated as soon as possible after illness onset.

Clinical trials and observational data show that early antiviral treatment may do the following:

• shorten the duration of fever and illness symptoms

• reduce the risk of complications from influenza (e.g., otitis media in young children, pneumonia, respiratory failure) and death

• shorten the duration of hospitalization.

Summary of CDC recommendations for influenza antiviral medications for the 2012-2013 season.

Health Alert Network (HAN)

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