WHO issues guidelines to ‘pandemic influenza’

The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s new guidelines for the clinical management of severe illness from influenza virus infections provide recommendations on the use of influenza antivirals, adjunctive therapies and diagnostic strategies. The new guidelines are intended to guide clinicians in their care of patients with or at risk of severe illness from seasonal, zoonotic or pandemic influenza. The guidelines were developed using a robust method that included commissioning systematic reviews and evaluating the quality of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework. Each guideline was reviewed by an external review group and approved by WHO’s Guideline Review Committee. This guideline provides recommendations on treatment with antivirals, specifically neuraminidase inhibitors; treatment with adjunctive therapies, specifically corticosteroids, macrolides and passive immunotherapy; and use of diagnostic testing strategies to guide treatment.