WHO updates guidelines on influenza treatment and includes recommendations for viruses with pandemic potential

WHO has updated its guidelines for the management of influenza patients. The guidelines are primarily intended for healthcare providers treating patients with influenza virus infection and also serve as a reference source for policy makers and others working to prepare for epidemics and pandemics.

Influenza is a viral disease. Seasonal influenza occurs in all parts of the world. It is estimated that there are about one billion cases of seasonal influenza each year, including 3–5 million cases of severe respiratory illness. An estimated 290,000–650,000 deaths per year are due to seasonal influenza-related respiratory illness, in addition to deaths related to other influenza complications.

In addition to seasonal flu viruses, animal flu viruses – most commonly bird flu and swine flu viruses – can also occasionally infect humans. They can cause illnesses ranging from mild conjunctivitis to severe pneumonia and even death. The current animal flu viruses are not transmissible from person to person, but pose a pandemic threat in the future.

These guidelines include recommendations for the use of antiviral medications and other treatments such as steroids to regulate the immune system. This update applies to patients with seasonal flu viruses, potential pandemic flu viruses, and new type A flu viruses known to cause severe illness in infected people.

A guideline development group consisting of subject matter experts, clinicians, patients, ethicists and methodologists analyzed the available data and developed these recommendations according to the standards for trustworthy guideline development using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

The recommendations are part of WHO's influenza response, which includes the work of the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System (GISRS) and the Pandemic Preparedness Framework (PIP), which addresses gaps in access to effective medical therapies and other tools.