Modifying clinical practices to manage influenza in children effectively.

Children less than 5 years of age are at increased risk of morbidity from influenza infection compared with older children and adults aged 18-54 years. Although much of the disease burden can be prevented by annual vaccination, the misperception that influenza does not result in serious illness in children, including schoolchildren, contributes to ongoing low vaccination rates. In conjunction with community surveillance of influenza activity, rapid diagnostic tests can help identify influenza patients who may benefit from initiation of antiviral therapy.