London: As swine flu spreads in India
and aboard, British scientists have warned that children under
the age of 12 should not be given the anti-viral drug Tamilflu
because its harms outweigh any benefits.
A new study jointly by the University of Oxford and
Radcliffe Hospital has found that the 'Tamiflu' medicine could
cause vomiting in some children, which may lead to dehydration
and further complications, 'The Daily Telegraph' reported.
Lead researcher Dr Carl Henegan of the hospital said
the current policy of giving Tamiflu for mild illness was an
"inappropriate strategy". "The downside of the harms outweigh
the one-day reduction in symptomatic benefits."
The researchers analysed four experiments, involving
children aged one to 12 on Tamiflu, to come to the conclusion.
The study found the drug had little or no effect in helping
with asthma flare-ups and the ear infections linked to flu.
Co-researcher Dr Matthew Thompson of University of
Oxford said: "I don't think we have got any reason to think
our results would be any different. The current swine flu is
generally a mild flu illness; it does not seem that different
from current seasonal flu."
However, a UK Department of Health spokesman dismissed
the claims, saying, "the extent to which the findings can be
applied to the current pandemic is questionable -- after all,
we already know that swine flu behaves differently to seasonal
flu, and past pandemics have hit younger people hardest."
But, Thompson said children with mild symptoms should
be treated in the same way as if they had any other mild flu
-- with drinks to cool high temperatures and rest.
But, there was no need for children who were otherwise
healthy to be taking Tamiflu. Parents should be on guard for
any potential complications, he said.
Dr Thompson said: "It's possible a more conservative
strategy such as reserving these anti-viral drugs for people,
for children who are more likely to have complications of the
illness might be a more sensible strategy."
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 20:29