Are there medicines to treat novel H1N1 infection?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with novel H1N1 flu virus. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaled powder) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. During the current pandemic, the priority use for influenza antiviral drugs during is to treat severe influenza illness (for example hospitalized patients) and people who are sick who have a condition that places them at high risk for serious flu-related complications.

Although data at this point are insufficient to determine who is at higher risk for complications of swine-origin influenza (S-OIV) A (H1N1), "It's reasonable to assume that the same age and risk groups who are at higher risk for seasonal influenza complications should be also considered at higher risk for swine influenza complications," reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on their Website. The CDC has issued several suggested guidelines for clinicians who treat these high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women, new mothers, and HIV-infected adults and adolescents.

On their Website, the CDC reports that little is currently known about how this new S-OIV may affect children. "However, we know from seasonal influenza and past pandemics that young children, especially those younger than 5 years of age and those with high-risk medical conditions, are at increased risk of influenza-related complications." They currently estimate an average of approximately 92 influenza-related pediatric deaths each year in the United States.

During a conference call on May 1, CDC influenza expert Tim Uyeki, MD, MPH, MPP, said that the great majority of cases reported in the United States have been in those under 18 years of age. "So children have been heavily affected. And I would expect attack rates to continue to be high among pediatric populations."

Although seasonal influenza vaccine is unlikely to provide protection against this new virus, a number of other interventions may decrease the risk for infection and possible complications.