Prevention of Influenza in Children.

Influenza infects 5% to 20% of school-age children annually. Although universal influenza vaccine is recommended for children and adults 6 months of age and older, uptake is below national targets. Influenza immunization of the child and the family is the key to decreasing annual disease burden. Antiviral therapy is an important treatment strategy for children and adults, especially those who are at high risk of complications from influenza, irrespective of immunization status or whether illness onset is greater than 48 hours. Although antiviral therapy may also be used for pre-exposure and postexposure prophylaxis, it should not replace immunization as a preventive strategy when immunization is feasible.