Who Should Be Considered for Antiviral Chemoprophylaxis to Prevent Influenza?
• Influenza vaccination is the primary tool to prevent influenza, and antiviral chemoprophylaxis is not a substitute for influenza vaccination. When influenza viruses are circulating in the community, chemoprophylaxis can be considered for high-risk persons during the 2 weeks post-vaccination before an adequate immune response to inactivated vaccine develops (6 weeks for children who were not previously vaccinated and who require 2 doses of vaccine) (A-I). • Antiviral chemoprophylaxis should be considered for adults and children > 1 year of age at high risk of complications from influenza for whom influenza vaccination is contraindicated, unavailable, or is expected to have low effectiveness (e.g., persons who are significantly immunocompromised) (B-II). Contraindications to vaccination include anaphylactic hypersensitivity to eggs or other vaccine components; moderate to severe febrile illness; and as a precaution, a history of Guillain-Barré Syndrome within 6 weeks of a previous infl
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