A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the safety of early oseltamivir treatment among children 0-9 years of age hospitalized with influenza in El Salvador and Panama.

Background: Oseltamivir reduces symptom duration among children with uncomplicated influenza, but few data exist on treatment efficacy and tolerability among hospitalized children, particularly among infants aged <1 year. We evaluated tolerability and efficacy of oseltamivir treatment of children aged 0-9 years hospitalized with influenza.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial at tertiary care hospitals in El Salvador and Panama.

What Is the Added Benefit of Oropharyngeal Swabs Compared to Nasal Swabs Alone for Respiratory Virus Detection in Hospitalized Children Aged <10 Years?

We evaluated the added value of collecting both nasal and oropharyngeal swabs, compared with collection of nasal swabs alone, for detection of common respiratory viruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in hospitalized children aged <10 years. Nasal swabs had equal or greater sensitivity than oropharyngeal swabs for detection of respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, rhinovirus, and influenza virus but not parainfluenza virus. The addition of an oropharyngeal swab, compared with use of a nasal swab alone, increased the frequency of detection of each respiratory virus by no more than 10% in children aged <10 years.