Management of influenza in primary care practices

The neuraminidase inhibitors (NI) Oseltamivir and Zanamivir are a valuable supplementation to vaccines for the control and prevention of influenza. To support the appropriate clinical use of these new antiviral drugs, guidelines have been developed in Germany. A prerequisite for an accurate clinical diagnosis is that the physicians obtain actual information on the epidemic situation, particularly in their region. Reliable, real-time information can be provided by the newly developed surveillance system, RealFlu(TM). The results of an evaluation of 99 NI-treated influenza patients and their medical laboratory values are presented. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V..