During the so-called influenza pandemic, the publication of an update of a Cochrane review on the effects of neuramini dase inhibitors in children aged ≤12 years is a timely addition to our knowledge. Antivirals (and more specifically neuraminidase inhibitors and the bestselling oseltamivir) have long been touted as an important part of the armoury against seasonal and pandemic influenza and have been stockpiled in huge quantities. A 2005 World Health Organization document went so far as to state that “wide scale use of antivirals and vaccines during a pandemic will depend on familiarity with their effective application during …