Should I buy tamiflu, cures for swine flu?
What to do about the swine flu pandemic, how to prepare and protect yourself, and the reality treatment where to buy Tamiflu, and its effectiveness.
Article dated the 19th of July 2009
Tamiflu
What can you do about swine flu?
Most importantly, practise good hygiene and stay away from people with symptoms. Wash your hands with soap and water regularly and also dry them. Cover your mouth when sneezing and coughing. Also avoid touching your hands on surfaces but most importantly do not touch your face with your hands. Masks do not work however alcohol wipes are affective. Although it is affecting people differently it is important to look out for the symptoms sudden fevers with a temperature of 38C or above, headaches, muscle aches, and pains. Sore throat and bad cough, there may also be diarrhoea or vomiting. Arrange someone to act as a 'flu partner', someone that can help you if you get ill.
What happens if I get swine flu?
Incubation should last between two and five days and depending on how severe the infection and the body's immune system the infection could last for several days. As with all flu it is recommended to take paracetamol based flu remedies to reduce the symptoms, drink plenty of water. It is also recommended to go online to the NHS web site and use their symptom checker or call the swine flu hot line 0800 1 513 513
The realities about getting Tamiflu, where to buy tamiflu
New Tamiflu distribution centres have been set up to dispense Tamiflu to confirmed cases and especially those in a high risk group. The government has stocks for 50% of the population so there should be enough to go around. However, the reality is that the services are currently overwhelmed with call waiting times of over 4 hours many people have been unable to get through on the NHS direct number to report their symptoms. The government is improving its coordinated response, by the end of this week there should be a dedicated National pandemic flu service with a web site and call centres but it is likely that these services too, will be over stretched. Many people will find the whole procedure to get Tamiflu too drawn out and stressful and will simply give up. Moreover the NHS has now lost hope of containing the virus and so is no longer prescribing Tamiflu as a preventative measure.
What does Tamiflu do and is it really effective?
Tamiflu is an antiviral that works by blocking enzymes on the surface of the virus thus stopping it reproducing. The drugs ability to stop the virus reproducing is the reason why it is vital to take the treatment as soon as possible after infection. Once the virus has taken hold and reproduced itself then Tamiflu is ineffective. This ability is also the reason why the drug can be used as preventative measure however its long term effects are uncertain and for a pandemic it's unadvisable to use as a long term preventative measure. There have been three cases in Hong Kong Japan and Denmark where the swine flu virus has show signs of resistance to Tamiflu. Although it is feared that the virus will mutate and become resilient to Tamifu currently these are only isolated cases. For now Tamiflu is still the most effective treatment available against swine flu.
Should I wait for the vaccine?
The H1N1 vaccine is currently in production and will not be available for a number of weeks yet. Furthermore the current yields of vaccination production are much lower than expected so the initial projections are that there will be a shortage. Vaccines are not necessarily the final solution. Either they carry their own risks or there have been cases in the past where the vaccination has caused a higher rate of death than the flu itself. For this reason many people prefer not to take the vaccine.
So should I buy Tamiflu?
Myonlinedoctor has got stocks of Tamiflu with en expiry date of June 2011 and our doctors are prescribing it for preventative purposes. As Tamiflu is only effective if started within 48 hours of being infected it is vital that you start the treatment as soon as possible. Having your own stock of Tamiflu in your medicine cabinet ensures that you can take direct action to start your course in time to have a positive effect. Also if you are travelling to a country that may not have a coordinated response set up you may also find that having your own stock of Tamiflu will be the only sure way to guarantee your treatment.
More information on what to do if you are travelling during the pandemic Latest information 30/09/2009
swine flu compared vaccine
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