Ribavirin Compared With Standard Care in Treating Patients With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Following Stem Cell Transplantation

RATIONALE: Antivirals such as ribavirin are used to treat infections caused by viruses. It is not yet known if ribavirin is more effective than standard therapy in preventing pneumonia in patients who have respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection following stem cell transplantation. PURPOSE: Randomized phase III trial to compare the effectiveness of ribavirin with that of standard therapy in preventing pneumonia in patients who have RSV infection following stem cell transplantation.