Those who have chronic health problems could benefit from taking Tamiflu, one of two antiviral drugs that have worked well against the swine flu. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the very old and people with chronic medical conditions should be treated with an antiviral drug such as Tamiflu when they have flu-like symptoms.
Tamiflu must be used within the first 48 hours of flu symptoms to be effective. It can also be prescribed to the chronically ill or elderly if they have been exposed to the virus. It is not a replacement for the H1N1 swine flu virus vaccine. The vaccine is going to be available in the United States in early October and the elderly, children and those who are chronically ill will have access to the vaccine first.
More than 60 percent of patients in a study done in China had underlying chronic illnesses, and 78 percent had been hospitalized with complications from seasonal flu. The study found that Tamiflu cut the rate of death by 37 percent suggesting that the drug can help save the lives of seriously ill flu patients.
Tamiflu should not be used by healthy individuals who are trying to prevent the H1N1 swine flu. This may cause a person to build up a resistance so that when they really need the drug, it will not work. Last year, the seasonal H1N1 flu virus (a different strain from H1N1 swine flu)developed resistance against Tamiflu in the United States and many other countries.
Tamiflu can be prescribed for children and adults. However, the fact that it is helping the chronically ill during the swine flu pandemic is of major importance since they are at a disadvantage health-wise when they get the virus.
For more information on Tamiflu: http://tamiflu.com
Written by Cheryl Phillips
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