Antiviral Medications lessen the severity of symptoms and stop virus reproduction to speed recovery:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) information says that A-H1N1/09 virus (the swine flu) can be treated if caught very early with two of the currently available anti-viral medications oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).Tamiflu is for treatment in adults and children aged 1 year and older, and must be taken within 48 hours of the first symptom.
=== === There are currently 4 types of antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: Amantadine, Rimantadine, Oseltamivir and Zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to these drugs, the most recent swine-flu viruses isolated from humans, are resistant to Amantadine and Rimantadine. None of these drugs prevent us from getting the virus like a vaccine would, but can lesson the severity of the symptoms and dramatically shorten their duration when given at the right timing in relation to exposure.
TAMIFLU UPDATE JULY 31, 2009 Tamiflu Side Effects in Children
According to research from the European Programme for Intervention Epidemiology Training and colleagues from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in London which was published in Eurosurveillance, the peer-reviewed journal of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, children are having neuropsychiatric side effects from Tamiflu such as nightmares, inability to concentrate, insomnia, and slight confusion.
The article at the NHS web site (link is provided to the full article in the related links section below), states:
". . . more than half of children taking Tamiflu to combat swine flu suffer side effects such as nausea, insomnia and nightmares," said The Daily Telegraph. It also said the study suggests that one in five children who took part reported having a neuropsychiatric side effect."
