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Early administration of neuraminidase inhibitors decreases morbidity in seasonal influenza. In a recent study conducted in China, researchers studied the effects of the neuraminidase inhibitor oseltamivir on pandemic 2009 H1N1 influenza.
Investigators reviewed the medical charts of 1291 patients (median age, 20) who were hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza between May and July 2009. Signs and symptoms were similar to those of seasonal influenza and were generally mild. Viral shedding, determined by polymerase chain reaction assay, lasted a median of 5 days and typically occurred between 1 day preceding symptom onset and 8 days after symptom onset. Of the 920 patients who underwent chest x-ray, 110 (12%) showed evidence…