America is experiencing its worst flu season in more than two decades, resulting in more than 15 million cases and at least 7,400 deaths.
Doctors say that the season has not yet reached its peak and cases can run through May.
But experts have questioned whether we are doing enough to combat the severity of the infections.
Prescription antiviral medications such as Tamiflu, Relenza, Rapivab and Xofluza can lessen symptoms and shorten the amount of time people are sick, according to federal health officials.
But, doctors are not relying on the drugs as much as we could be, according to recent assessments.
“We are dramatically and drastically underutilizing influenza antivirals,” Janet Englund, a pediatric-infectious-disease specialist at the University of Washington, told The Atlantic on Tuesday.
Nothing new
Before the Covid pandemic, the percentage of hospital patients who received antiviral treatment for the flu was “relatively stable,” a group of researchers across the country said in a November study.
Since then, however, antivirals have been underutilized.
This was observed among hospitalized children and adolescents sickened by the flu from 2022 to 2023.
Approximately half of children and adolescents with an influenza-associated hospitalization, and around two-thirds of those with an influenza-associated outpatient visit, did not receive recommended antiviral treatment from 2023 to 2024.
This highlighted “missed opportunities to reduce the risk for influenza complications,” the researchers wrote, underscoring the “importance of increasing awareness among pediatric health care professionals about current recommendations for antiviral treatment.”
So, why is this happening?
Well, the answer is really that it’s complicated, but the researchers say there are several possible reasons.
Waiting for test results and guidance on timing for treatment are part of the cause.
Treatment works the best and can help to reduce complications from flu when started within just two days of developing flu symptoms.
“However, starting them later can still be helpful, especially if the sick person has a higher-risk health condition or is very sick from flu (for example, hospitalized patients),” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
Concerns about adverse effects associated with taking the drugs may also play a part in not prescribing the antivirals.
The capsule Tamiflu can result in nausea and vomiting, Relenza can lead to difficulty breathing and Rapivab can cause diarrhea. There are some other extremely rare side effects, such as seizures, allergic reactions and life-threatening rashes.
That’s why antivirals are recommended for people with a higher risk of developing complications from the flu due to underlying health conditions or their age. That group includes Americans older than 65 years old and under the age of two.
Most people with mild illness who are not at a higher risk do not need antivirals, according to the CDC.
Using antivirals
Antivirals work by keeping the virus from multiplying inside the body, according to Banner Health.
However, they are not a substitute for the flu vaccine, which is the best way to help prevent seasonal flu.
It is recommended that everyone six months and older get an annual flu shot, whereas antivirals are a second line of defense.
But, using them more often could help save lives.
Adults hospitalized with flu who started treatment early had a lower risk of death, according to research published in 2024.
“We know that healthcare providers historically have underutilized antivirals, and so this would be a good time for healthcare providers—for doctors—to really change their practices and be more liberal with prescribing antivirals such as Tamiflu,” Dr. Dean Blumberg, the chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at U.C. Davis, told MDLinx.
“It does reduce the duration of illness, it does reduce the severity of illness, it does reduce hospitalizations.”
