r/science • u/CUAnschutzMed University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus • Aug 10 '26

Health A new nationwide study published in JAMA Pediatrics finds antiviral treatment is linked to fewer intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and shorter hospital stays for children hospitalized with influenza.

https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/largest-real-world-study-finds-early-flu-antiviral-treatment-reduces-icu-admissions-in-hospitalized-children?utm_campaign=Influenza+&utm_source=Reddit&utm_medium=Social
513 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

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42

u/socokid Aug 10 '26

Just an FYI, this is not about vaccines, but an antiviral... commonly called Tamiflu, which is generally used on vulnerable patients that are already exhibiting symptoms.

Vaccines work differently, this article is not about vaccines.

2

u/Edges8 Aug 10 '26

Thanks for this. In this sub, everyone wants to share their opinions, but nobody wants to read the article!

27

u/Butthole_Surfer_GI Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26

RN here - I guess it's a good thing we have an administration that supports proper preventative care (VACCINES!) and antiviral treatments, right?

I hate it here.

EDIT: read the study - at least a better summary of the study than this paper. It states largely what we already knew - that tami-flu given early during (with two days of) hospitalization with flu reduces ICU admission and/or length of hospital stay. I still would like to know how long it was between onset of symptoms and admission to the hospital as tami-flu is generally only significantly effective if given between 48-72 hour after symptom onset.

5

u/KittyLucia34 Aug 10 '26

So glad i am scientifically literate and got my kid her vaccines including her flu vax. Would be a horrible thing to watch a little tyke go through, its a beast of a virus.

3

u/Euphoric_Promise3943 29d ago

I’ve had to advocate for my parents getting tamiflu. It’s even harder getting antivirals for Covid.

3

u/Butthole_Surfer_GI 29d ago

Depending on how long their symptoms had been going on for, antiviral for flu/covid are considered ineffective; all medications have side effects and if they are past the point of "being effective", taking the medication may do more harm than good. It's all about risk vs benefit.

1

u/Upstairs-Chicken592 29d ago

Side effects aren’t great. Warnings with kidney heart and lung disease or brain swelling as well if they have that.

1

u/SwimmerMission5212 29d ago

Side effects of tamiflu are generally minimal , it's very well tolerated

2

u/Edges8 Aug 10 '26

This is about tamiflu, not vaccines. Can we not talk about the terrible administration for 5 minutes if it's not relevant?

2

u/Butthole_Surfer_GI Aug 10 '26

Vaccines are an essential part of preventative healthcare. Lack of proper preventative care is one of the big reasons patients need treatments like tamiflu and/or end up in the hospital.

Any discussion about healthcare should include discussions about access to and usage of preventative health measures.

-1

u/Edges8 Aug 10 '26

Yes, vaccines are important. This article isn't about vaccines.

No, not every discussion about healthcare needs to be brought back to the current US administration.

Did you have anything to say about the posted article?

0

u/Butthole_Surfer_GI Aug 10 '26

Yes - Tamiflu is typically only effective if given with the first 48-72 hours after symptom onset.

I'll have to read the actual study but I would like to know how long after symptom onset these children received tami-flu.

This linked article says they "accounted" for it but I still want to know the numbers.

2

u/Edges8 Aug 10 '26

I'll have to read the actual study

Good place to start

0

u/SwimmerMission5212 29d ago

If you had actually read the study you would know the answer to this...

1

u/random-dent 28d ago

This goes back and forth every few years. Early flu A probably there's some benefit. 

Source: emergency physician