Report: Tamiflu is 'useless' for avian flu

Report: Tamiflu is 'useless' for avian flu

LONDON, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- A Vietnamese doctor with experience in treating avian flu says Tamiflu, the drug being stockpiled for treatment of avian flue is useless against the virus.

Dr. Nguyen Tuong Van of the Centre for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi has treated 41 victims of H5N1, following World Health Organization guidelines and administering Tamiflu to her patients. She told the Sunday Times of London the medicine had no effect.

"We place no importance on using this drug on our patients," she said. "Tamiflu is really only meant for treating ordinary type A flu. It was not designed to combat H5N1."

The newspaper said the finding casts doubt on the British government's pandemic flu policy. The nation's top medical official, Sir Liam Donaldson, has ordered 15 million doses of Tamiflu be stockpiled.

Van said the only way to keep avian flu patients alive is to "support" all their vital organs -- including the liver and kidneys -- with modern technology like ventilators and dialysis machines, the Sunday Times reported.

The WHO has acknowledge Tamiflu had not been "widely successful in human patients," but said it believes it would have been more effective in many Asian countries if it had been used earlier in the illness.

Well, that should put an end to that...

I still think avoidance is the best bet... Everyone should have a plan to be housebound, if necessary.

EDIT: MODs close this one down....Soficrow has it covered here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 5-12-2005 by loam]

i am housebound most the time anyway i have bad panic attacks ..so i shouldnt have a problem pulling this off hehe.. i agree with u and i also feel from what i read that that drug has some very unwelcomed side effects..and i tend to distrust vaccines and new drugs .. people really have to ask why and who gains from this "new" flu that they "know" is gonna mutate hehe

brian

i know that already when the day of Tamiflu present........