Influenza Information for Health Care Providers

Frequently Asked Questions

Should we be testing for H1N1?

Which antivirals should we prescribe?

What are the recommended exclusionary periods for persons with influenza?

Should we be testing for H1N1?

For most patients, there is no need to test for H1N1. At this point, the predominant circulating flu strain is H1N1, so there is no need to confirm that. Also, treatment recommendations are the same for both seasonal influenza and H1N1 at this time. We are tracking influenza activity through sentinel sites. (If they are interested in becoming a sentinel site, refer them to Epi)

We recommend you follow procedures for rapid testing as you normally would including amplified cultures for influenza and reporting as usual under reportable disease guidelines. We do NOT recommend further testing for the general population to confirm sub-type for Influenza A, as we believe it is likely to be H1N1.The exceptions to this are persons who are:

• pregnant OR
• hospitalized with a clinical condition OR
• live in an institutional setting with no previous known cases of H1N1

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Which antivirals should we prescribe?

Most patients and their contacts will not need treatment with antivirals unless he or she has an underlying medical condition that puts them at greater risk for developing influenza complications. H1N1 is still widely susceptible to Tamiflu and Relenza for those at increased risk for influenza-related complications.

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What are the recommended exclusionary periods for persons with influenza?

Children in day care = 7 days from onset of symptoms or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.

Children K-12 = without fever for at least 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication.

Healthcare workers = 7 days from onset of symptoms or until symptoms resolve, whichever is longer.

All others = 24 hours without fever without the use of fever-reducing medication.