2024 WHO influenza treatment guidelines, limitations and gaps

Abstract

In 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) released “Guidelines for the clinical management of severe illness from influenza virus infections.” This was based upon recommendations of a WHO Guidelines Development Group during consultations in 2017-2019. The WHO has updated the recommendations to incorporate new evidence and to expand the scope to include antiviral treatment of non-severe influenza and post-exposure antiviral chemoprophylaxis of influenza. The updated guidelines address seasonal influenza and novel influenza A virus infections of animal origin (zoonotic influenza) and utilized the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology to assess data from randomized controlled trials. Updated systematic reviews on antivirals, immunomodulators, other potential therapies, and influenza tests were conducted. For antivirals, network meta-analyses were performed. A WHO Guidelines Development Group provided consensus thresholds for minimally important differences of endpoints from a patient's perspective for non-severe (outpatients) and severe (hospitalized patients) influenza. The recommendations for the updated 2024 “WHO Guidelines for the clinical management of illness from influenza virus infections” will be presented. Limitations of the guidelines and gaps in clinical research for seasonal influenza and zoonotic influenza will be discussed.