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Just wash your hands.
Every year, hundreds of viruses pass through the
pediatric and adult community. Many of the bugs are disruptive and keep
kids out of school and adults away from work. Some of the viruses have
unique signs and symptoms, but most just cause amorphous aches,
sneezing, coughing or intestinal upset.
Influenza viruses,
especially new ones, trigger more news stories and can be made to seem
much more frightening and dangerous than they really are. Government
agencies and media don't supply statistical context and make it sound
like you've got a "fifty-fifty" chance of contracting this new virus.
They then make it sound like a lot of people who get this influenza end
up in the hospital and may die. Statistically, nothing could be further
from the truth: The chance that the new virus is really dangerous is
small. The chance that you'll get it is much, much smaller, and the
possibility that you or a family member will be harmed by the virus is
so slim that the news should be on page twenty, not page one.
Swine Flu is a virus for which there is no vaccine, little to no threat
to your family, and there are undoubtedly tens of thousands of harmless
undiagnosed cases throughout the world. The news stories are probably
taking a hundred questionable respiratory deaths in Mexico and guessing.
There actually is a very, very small chance that this virus
could cause severe illness and whenever this occurs hospitalization and
even fatalities are reported. The likelihood of a pandemic is miniscule,
but newspapers, government agencies and the manufacturers of
pharmaceuticals do their best work and make their biggest sales when
people are scared.
Broadcast media get major sponsorship from the pharmaceutical industry and do not always present the "other side" of the story.
Tamiflu is recommended for treatment and
prevention of this influenza virus. Local pharmacies are already running low on
Tamiflu.
Connect these dots.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/governmentFilingsNews/
idUKN2445216420090424
http://www.snopes.com/politics/medical/tamiflu.asp
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE53O17O20090425
http://www.nasdaq.com/aspx/stock-market-news-story.aspx?storyid=
200904251215dowjonesdjonline000319&title=who-says-initial-findings-show-
swine-flu-responds-to-tamiflu
The usual boring admonitions apply: wash your hands, stay well-rested
and well-hydrated. You do not need to buy Tamiflu. It is an effective
antiviral drug but has possible side effects.
http://health.howstuffworks.com/health-illness/treatment/medicine/
medications/tamiflu-psych.htm
As far as our office prescribing Tamiflu, we would rather not, but we
will if you insist. I promise you that I personally am purchasing none
for my family and would recommend the same to you.
Jay N. Gordon, MD, FAAP
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