Calling on the doctor should be done at the earliest for any kind of medical problem you face. In the case of bird flu or the avian flu one should be able to recognize the symptoms and he should be able to relate it with what has happened to him. The symptoms of bird flu are the same as that of your annual flu. Then how do you differentiate it. It is quite simple. You’ve got to analyze the facts. First I will be discussing about the symptoms of the flu and then I will be taking you through, what should make you suspect that you are having the bird flu.

Appearance of Symptoms

The symptoms of the flu start off with a sore in the throat. This is quite common as you will be thinking that a cold has hit you. But then you will know as this is going to becomes something worse. It will be followed by fever with temperatures above a 100 degree Fahrenheit. This will be followed up by chills and muscular pain. All your muscles are going to ache and you will weakness and tiredness. There will be a loss of appetite accompanied with cough and chest pain. Your symptoms may last for about a week.

You should have gone to the doctor when the symptoms appear in the first case. This is the time the doctor would have taken your blood and mucus samples and sent them for testing. The next day the doctor will be in the know of the result. But I was talking about analysis; now coming to that part, try to remember if you have handled any birds, poultry or its droppings.

You should also try to remember if you had been swimming in an open lake or pond where wild birds or ducks have watered. In a case you have been doing any of the activities that I have mentioned then you should at once be prescribed Tamiflu. You should start taking Tamiflu immediately, as this is the only anti viral drug in the market that is now available as a capsule which can be taken orally.

Symptoms in children

The symptoms that I have mentioned above relates to adults. In the case of children the symptoms may differ slightly. They may suffer from some abdominal pain too. This abdominal pain may at times be related to appendicitis. Or the doctor can be falsely led to believe that the child is suffering from appendicitis; where as the child may originally have come down with the flu. In some children the fever will be followed by convulsions. When you notice any of these symptoms you should have called in to see the doctor.

Tamiflu

In case you are in no position to see a doctor now, then you can start off with Tamiflu. I will be giving you the dosages of the drug in case of both adults and children. In a case where the doctor will be available after a day or two then you should continue with the dosages and then tell the doctor as to what your symptoms were at first and what your symptoms are now after taking Tamiflu for two days or so.

The drug Tamiflu comes in a capsule form and a suspension form. The capsule form contains about seventy five grams of the medication. If you have shown up with the symptoms mentioned above then you should take one capsule in the morning and one capsule in the evenings. If it is case where you are not sure but have been exposed to the flu virus, then you should take one capsule a day. This is to be done either in the mornings or in the evenings.

Uses of Tamiflu

An antiviral prescription drug; this is what Tamiflu is popularly known as. Tamiflu is a drug that has been in the market for quite some time. It has gained popularity with the advent of bird flu. Though Tamiflu has been used for quite some time for treatment of flu like symptoms it was with its effect against bird flu that Tamiflu came in to the lime light. If the symptoms that one has experienced for flu is within a span of two days then Tamiflu is the recommended medication. The symptoms that one may experience may range from; let us say it starts off with a sore throat, this is followed up by muscular pain / body pain and a headache. There is an obvious rise in body temperature. One may also experience giddiness, nausea, and a vomiting sensation.

Treatment by this drug is carried out as the drug attacks the virus in the body and stops it from spreading. The drug attacks the influenza virus (the main agent of flu) and prevents it from spreading.

One may also take this drug if one is likely to be exposed to the patients who are suffering from these viral attacks. This can be taken by adults and children who are above the age group of thirteen as a preventive measure. For children below the age group of thirteen, this drug is given only in case the child is affected by flu or the influenza virus. In case of an outbreak of viral flu influenza in your community then you are required to take this medication as a preventive measure.

This medication comes in a pack of tens, twenties and thirties. I will be discussing how to use the tablets.

How to use the tablets

The tablets are oral consumption pills, means that the tablets are to be taken by mouth with the help of a glass of water or a glass of milk. Having the medication with a glass of milk reduces the chances of you suffering from a stomach upset. Similarly you can have this medication with your food. This also brings down your chances for suffering from a stomach upset.

You are supposed to take these tablets as soon as you know you have developed the symptoms. The recommended duration for this is, within a time span of forty eight hours of your exposure to the flu victim or within forty eight hours of your developing the symptoms of the flu.

The drug’s main content is the compound Oseltamivir. So if you have come down with the flu influenza, take the medicine Tamiflu (Oseltamivir) for a period of five days. This should be taken two times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. As I have told you earlier, you should take it with your food to reduce your chances of suffering from a stomach upset. After two days of consumption of the medication, you may find yourself relived from the symptoms of the flu, but then do not discontinue to take the medicine, as this is only an outward relief, the virus is still active in your body. So you should complete the full dosage as prescribed to you. Or if you are not following a prescription guide, then you should take the medicine for a full duration of five days that is a complete course of ten tablets.

If you are taking the medicine as a preventive measure then you should take the medicine for a period of seven days. The seven days period will be prescribed with one tablet daily either in the morning or in the evening. Follow the advice of your doctor for this routine. As a warning, let me tell you again that you should not stop this medication in between, or follow an irregular routine. Following an irregular routine like taking the tablet in the morning for the first day and on the second day you take it in the evening will cause a variation in the level of the medication in the body. You are required to keep the medicine level in the body at a constant level. This means that if you have taken the medicine today in the morning, the next day also you should have your medicine at the same time and follow it up continuously.

Stopping the medicine too early can cause the symptoms to reappear in your body. In case you find no improvement in the condition of the symptoms then consult your doctor immediately.

Introduction:

To talk to you about the side effects of Tamiflu, I should be telling you what Tamiflu is. Tamiflu is an anti viral drug. This drug is taken to reduce the chances of symptoms appearing in human beings. The next question comes as to what is this anti viral drug used against. This anti viral drug is used to fight off the effects of bird flu attack in human beings.

Flu, as you know is a common problem faced by human beings when they are exposed to extreme conditions or when the antibody is fighting a viral infection within the body. The result is a flu which is displayed as a raise in temperature of the body. The symptom starts off with a sore throat more often than not. One may experience cough, with aching of the muscles, headache and a loss of appetite.

Any flu when left untreated, without proper rest and medication will lead to pneumonia. If the affected person is treated with proper care and given proper rest, then the flu may disappear. If not, this will lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia will result in death in a short time span of two days or so if again left untreated. Proper dosages of the drug are to be given to the patient suffering from flu and if it is bird flu then serious attention is to be given.

Side effects:

The drug Tamiflu is to be given in proper dosages as prescribed by your doctor. Exceeding the dosage limits for any drug will lead to serious side effects. As with any drug, Tamiflu will affect you in any of the following ways. You may experience a serious allergic reaction. The allergic reaction may be a difficulty in breathing. This will be caused by either a swelling of your tongue, lips or you may experience a construction of the throat. You may also have a swelling of your face. In any of these allergic reactions you should discontinue your medication and consult your doctor about it. In the case of the allergic reaction do not wait for the swelling to subside but go to the nearest emergency room.

Other than this you may experience less serious side effects. They may range from, you having a feeling of dizziness, nausea, vomiting. You may have a serious case of diarrhea, experience abdominal pains, or abdominal cramps. Some of you may experience a feeling of sleeplessness (insomnia). Fatigue, cough and other respiratory symptoms are also some side effects the one may experience. In these cases, you should not discontinue taking the medication, but the same time you should talk to your doctor about it.

The side effects of Tamiflu, when you are taking other medication are almost none. Though so far no clinical tests have proved that Tamiflu reacts with other medication it would be a good idea to tell your doctor that you are taking other medication when you are being prescribed Tamiflu.

If you are studying into the side effects of Tamiflu then you should know that Tamiflu is only a brand name. The main ingredient of Tamiflu is Oseltamivir. It (Tamiflu) when taken with medication to treat problem relating to the kidneys may throw up a different side effect. This may be dizziness or over drowsiness. Side effects of Tamiflu may be prominent if you are in the habit of consuming alcoholic beverages. Let not Tamiflu stop you from taking your regular influenza vaccination, as no side effects of Tamiflu have been observed along with it. For a complete list of side effects it would be better to have a discussion with your health care provider.

Tamiflu is a medicine that is to be taken when you are infected by the influenza virus. Now that I have covered what Tamiflu is briefly I will go into the details and then give you a study on the effects of Tamiflu when you are pregnant and lactating because this too is an important part of pregnancy.

How Tamiflu treats the Flu

The main ingredient of the Tamiflu medicine is the Oseltamivir phosphate. This medicine belongs among a group of medications which is called the neuraminidase inhibitors. The medicine acts in this way; it attacks the influenza virus in the body and stops it from spreading inside the body. This is a great cure. You will feel the symptoms reducing within a span of two days. Most other medications for flu go for the symptoms and try to cure the symptoms or mask them. So you can simply say that Tamiflu treats the flu at the source of the infection.

Tamiflu Dosage

For knowing its effects on pregnancy one should know the dosage of the capsule. Each capsule of the medication contains seventy five grams of the active drug. The capsule is a grey and light yellow capsule. For persons afflicted by the flu, they re supposed to take two capsules orally; one capsule in the morning and one in the evening. For people who have been exposed to the influenza virus and they who are taking this medicine as a preventive measure against the flu should take only one seventy five grams capsule in a day. In the earlier case the person is prescribed this medicine for a period of five days and in the second case for a period of seven days. So this is the approximate dosage of what a pregnant lady will have if she is faced with the consequences of taking Tamiflu.

Studies conducted on the medication for pregnancy

Now I will be discussing the studies conducted on the medication for pregnancy. The FDA has categorized this drug under the medical category “C”. The data collected is insufficient to give a clear picture on the effects of Tamiflu on pregnant women and her developing fetus. As there was no human specimens in the tests initial tests were conducted on rats. Then in a later stage we switched over to rabbits. The pregnant rats were given Tamiflu in different proportions. They were administered dosages of fifty, two hundred and fifty and one thousand five hundred milligrams for per kilogram per day. The rabbits were given fifty, one hundred and fifty and five hundred milligrams for every kilogram per day. Both these animals were given the medication by the oral route. The relative exposure rates were accounted for. In a rat the exposure for these doses was two, thirteen and a hundred times. In the case of the rabbit it was four, eight and a fifty times. Pharmacokinetic study showed that fetal exposure was there in both the cases. In the case of the rats, the maternal toxicity was minimal that too in the one thousand five hundred milligram per kilogram per day group. The rabbit showed slight maternal toxicities. Skeletal abnormalities were observed in the cases where the doses were increased. However the abnormality remained in the background.

The studies came to the conclusion as such, “Tamiflu should be prescribed to a pregnant woman only if the case justifies the potential benefit of the fetus.”

A similar study was conducted on rats and rabbits for the effects of Tamiflu in lactating mothers. It was observed that Oseltamivir and Oseltamivir carboxylate are given out in the milk. A similar human study could not be conducted due to the lack of lactating mothers infected by the flu who are willing to contribute towards experimentation.

Tamiflu as a preventive measure

Can you take Tamiflu as a preventive measure? This is a popular question that everybody is asking the world as of now. For those of the lesser informed a word about what Tamiflu is for, and what causes you to take the drug.

What Tamiflu is?

Tamiflu is a prescription drug for the influenza. What causes this influenza? Influenza is an infection caused by the virus. There are three types of influenza. They are the type ‘A’ influenza, the type ‘B’ influenza and the type ‘C’ influenza.

Type A is the most dangerous among these types. It affects the humans in very bad way. It has caused epidemic in various regions of the world. Some of the famous epidemics attributed to the influenza are the Spanish influenza of 1918, the Asian influenza of 1957 and the Hong Kong influenza of 1969.

Prevention methods

There are different methods to prevent the influenza. The most common among them being getting one administered the flu shot. It prevents one from getting the most common types of flu. This is an injection that has been around for decades.

Nowadays modern medicines have come into the markets which have gained popularity; the most popular among them being the Tamiflu. This is an oral medication. The medicine comes in the form of a capsule, a capsule containing seventy five milligrams of the medication. This medication is also available in the form of a suspension.

I will be discussing the dosages of the medication along with how one should be taking it for when you are taking it as a preventive measure.

How to take Tamiflu

For the medicine to be beneficial for you, you should start this medication within two days / forty eight hours of the symptoms showing up. You should take this medication twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. This is generally prescribed for a course of five days. Do not discontinue the course in any case. As a preventive measure you should take this medicine once a day. This can be done in any of the following ways; one tablet either in the morning or in the evening.

Medication schedule

But if you are taking this medicine in the mornings then you should continue to take this tablet only in the mornings, if in the evenings, then only in the evenings. Taking the tablet one day in the morning and the next day in the evening will reduce the effects of the tablet. Then it is not going to serve any purpose. So strictly stick to a schedule. A preferable schedule will be an evening dosage. This is recommended because there is a chance of a stomach upset on your taking this medication. So you are advised to take this medicine with food. So what better time than in the evenings! You may have to take it for a period of seven days if you have been known to be exposed to the virus or if you have worked in the virus infected area. If you are continuously working in the virus infected area then you should take it as long as you are working there. Protection of the medicine lasts as long as you are taking this drug.

There are some people out there who are having a kidney problem. For them, the prescribed medication is one tablet a day if they are known to be infected. In case they are taking it as a preventive measure then it is prescribed for them to take this medicine every alternate day.

Avian Flu

The avian flu is a kind of flu that affects birds in general. Then you may ask why we as human beings should take precautions. The flu is able to transmit from birds to human beings and this is a dangerous thing. As of date there is no transmission of the bird flu from humans to humans. If such a day is to come, then god forbid, we are in for a disaster in the terms of a pandemic, so one must take few steps to prevent oneself from being effected by the avian flu.

With this I feel you should know a bit more about what avian flu / bird flu is.

More about Avian/Bird Flu

Avian flu leads to a respiratory disease found in birds. This is caused by the virus strain the H5N1. There are a number of virus strains that are responsible for flu; the most dangerous among them being the H5N1 strain. The affected birds fall prey to the flu and they die in a matter of a few days. Their saliva and droppings transmit the flu from one bird to another. Water ducks are considered the main transmitter of the virus and carrier of the virus. The infected ducks pollute whole body of water like the lake of stream that they pad in. The virus is found in the dead body of the bird. Any man or animal who consumes this flesh also get affected by the deadly virus. But the virus is not able to live in temperatures above 30 degree centigrade. When exposed to temperatures above 70 degree centigrade for more than a second the virus is no more.

There are different kinds of strains found in this flu as I have told you in the preceding paragraph. There are sixteen different avian flu viruses, which are classified as subtypes of the virus. The one I will be discussing about is the H5N1 type of virus. The H5N1 virus is considered to be highly pathogenic. Highly pathogenic means they can cause severe diseases in human beings and are considered to be highly infectious in nature. This strain of virus can be transmitted from the birds to the human beings either directly of by a carrier animal like pigs or cats.

Now that you have an idea as to what is the avian flu, I will be discussing the steps to be taken to prevent yourself from the infection.

Steps to prevent you from Infection

First and foremost “avoid”. In case there is a known case of influenza virus attack in a particular region the basics is to avoid contact with persons from that region. This is in itself a big tool. Take your annual flu shot. This reduces the chances of you being infected by the flu. Avoid contact with infected poultry and farm products. Handle the droppings of the infected birds with proper care and attention, so as not to come in contact directly with the droppings. Make use of masks, gloves and protective clothing in case of a flu outbreak. The recommended mask for handling bird flu infection is the N 95 type mask. This mask is recommended by the Center for diseases control. It passes all the stringent quality tests prescribed by this institution, which includes the porosity test and the pressure test.

When choosing the mask, make sure it fits smugly over your face and over the bridge of your nose. We would not want you getting infected even after wearing a mask. Other things that are to be worn with the mask are gloves, boots and full-sleeved coveralls. The mask should not be used for more than six hours continuously. Discard the mask and use a new mask if you have to work in an infected area for more than six hours. When you change your mask, wash your hands with a mild disinfectant follow it up with soap and water. For a disinfectant you may make use of rubbing alcohol. Now you may don your new mask.

To clear your house of the virus, clean your house with a good vacuum cleaner, paying attention to the corners and all places where dust is likely to collect. Then use bleach and rubbing alcohol for giving your house a rubbing down. Use alcohol on doorknobs and other places where one is likely to use as a hold for the hand.

In case you have livestock on your farm, follow the following precautions:

1. Do not let all the farm animals to water from a single water hole.

2. Keep animals apart, like do not let your poultry stray in your pigsty.

3. Observe your livestock for any change in behavioral patterns. Contact a good vet when you notice any abnormality.

4. Do not let all your animals feed from the same bowl.

5. Do not store your chicken pens one over the other.

There are hardly any medicines that are available for treating flu. Among these Tamiflu is the only medication that is good in treating flu. Here I will be covering some of the symptoms of the flu. So this will tell you when you should take Tamiflu and what other medications are available for the flu.

Flu Symptoms

The symptoms for the flu are a sore throat. This is the beginning of the chapter called the flu. This may be either the common flu or the on set of the bird flu. But the sore throat will worsen to a condition where by you will know this is not just a sore throat but something worse than that. It is cobbled in the second chapter by high fever ranging to temperatures above a hundred degree Fahrenheit. And along with this as a sub section to the second chapter of the flu you will be having muscular pains, weakness, loss of appetite and a pain in the chest.

Introduction of Flu shot

This was how it was when the Spanish Influenza struck in the 1918’s. It took with it a number of people. The estimated loss of life was about 20 million all over the world. The flu shot was introduced. This is a vaccine against the common flu. People lost their lives not just due to the flu. The flu developed in to the pneumonia and this became a bacterial infection. It caused havoc and the result was that what we faced in the 1918’s. But a vaccine when the flu is on you will not be much of an effect. It had to be taken well before you are affected by the flu. The tablets available around that time were Amantadine and Rimantdine. Both these drugs had to be consumed as tablets. These drugs acted like this. They could stop the flu virus from duplicating itself after it had been inside the human cells. They could not mutate and form a group with which they could attack the body. But there were limitations for the drugs Amantadine and Rimantdine. They were effective against only Type ‘A’ influenza causing viruses. They were ineffective against the type “B” influenza virus. For this an alternative medicine was to be conjured.

New drugs: Tamiflu and Relenza

It was at the turn of this century that new drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza were formulated. They were effective against both the type “A” and the type “B” influenza causing viruses. They belonged to a separate class of medicines called the neuraminidase inhibitors. Tamiflu contained the drug Oseltamivir and Relenza was made of Zanamivir. Both these drugs worked in a similar way. They too could stop the particles of the virus from being released in to the human cells. This limited the spread of the infection.

The medicine Tamiflu is taken as a pill. It comes in the form of a capsule, a yellow grey capsule with seventy five milligram of the drug encompassed in it. There is another form also in which Tamiflu s supplied, it is the suspension form. This suspension form is for children. They are given the medication as per their weight. For a child weighing less than 33 pounds he / she are given thirty milligrams of the medication. All weight categories the medication is given in proper proportions.

Relenza is a drug that required an inhaler to take the drug. This drug is directly inhaled into the lungs. This drug was approved by the FDA at around the same time Tamiflu was approved. However, people who suffered from asthma and other respiratory related diseases faced fatalities after inhaling this drug. Experts in the field have weighed the options against the risk involved when taking this inhalation prescription drug. They have justified the risk involved against the risk of infection.

To understand this, let us first have a look on what Flu and Avian Flu is.

What is flu?

Flu is a disease which has the following symptoms. They are fever with temperature above 38 degree centigrade or 100 degree Fahrenheit. You may also suffer from chills, muscular pain, severe headaches, tiredness, and a loss in your appetite, soreness of the throat, cough and chest pain. The symptoms may last for a few days and will heal with medication. Some of the people may suffer from this, which may last for a few weeks. What is obliviously needed is a good rest and you are required to consume large quantities of water preferably warm. Symptoms in children may include abdominal pain. This should not be confused with appendicitis. Children may also suffer from convulsions.

Drugs to treat the flu are limited. Drugs like Amantadine and Rimantdine have been around for a number of decades. But recent studies have shown that they are that effective against the type B influenza. New drugs have been introduced in the market. They are sold by the trade name of Tamiflu with Oseltamivir as its main composition. There is another drug known as Zanamivir. This drug is sold by the trade name of Relenza. This drug is also highly effective against flu. Both these drugs are used and highly effective for both types of flu i.e. the type “A” influenza and the type “B” influenza.

The flu is caused by the virus. Generally the virus is found with two protein factors, the H factor and the N factor. There are sixteen different H factors and nine different N factors. A combination of these factors gives one the flu virus. The H1N1 virus has caused the Spanish influenza in the year 1918. This virus has killed an estimated 40 to 50 million people all over the world. And let me tell you that the flu can be avoided by one simple measure. You should take your annual flu shot regularly. Most of the common flu can be tackled with this flu shot.

What is avian flu?

Avian flu is a strain of the virus that I have been discussing in the preceding paragraphs. They consist of enormous groups of viruses (a combination of the H factor and N factor) that are infecting the birds. Sometimes these viruses also find other species as hosts. Here they mutate taking the host and develop into a new strain of the virus. Most varieties of the avian influenza do not affect the human species. But when it does infect human species then it is found to be deadly. The particularity of the avian influenza is that it has so far not caused infection among humans. And if this takes place then we are doomed, for a new strain would have developed and this can be quite dangerous.

What are antibiotics used for?

Antibiotics are primarily, a drug to cure, one of bacterial infections. The flu being a viral infection will not find a remedy in antibiotics. In viral infections when one is infected by the influenza and the flu has reached proportions of the pneumonia. The bacteria in the body start to inflate. This is going to require antibiotics.

I will start of this article with the types of Influenza and how does Tamiflu act on these viruses, so you will be able to understand what the different types of Influenza are and how Tamiflu is going to cure you of the Influenza.

Types of Influenza

There are three types of Influenza. They are the type “A” Influenza, the type “B” Influenza and the type “C” Influenza. Type “A” Influenza is considered to be the most dangerous of the types as it can cause large epidemic and has done so in the past too. They affect a variety of animals and birds. They can cause damage to the human population too. Based on the surface proteins they are divided into different sub types. The surface proteins are of two types, they are called the hem agglutinin and Neuramidase. They are indicated by the “H” and the “N” alphabets respectively. The variations of their sub types are given in numerals. So we can say H1N1 is a hem agglutinin with variation 1 and Neuramidase with variation 1. There are a total number of sixteen variations in hem agglutinin. The number of variations in Neuramidase is nine.

Now consider the permutation combination of sixteen is to nine. You have that much number of viruses of the type “A” Influenza. Not all of the varieties are considered to be dangerous. Most of these variations cause diseases in certain species of animals. Of these there are only a few that can presently develop in human beings. They are the H1N1, H1N2 and the H1N3. The H5N1 strain is considered to be the most dangerous and it has affected a number of birds, animals and human beings. This strain is called the avian strain. Water ducks are considered the reservoir for hosting the virus. They spread the disease through their nasal secretions, saliva and feces. The avian flu is also of the two types. One of them is highly pathogenic and the other low pathogenic in nature.

The Influenza B and C are not dangerous and are only showing mild symptoms in human beings.

The viruses responsible for the flu are showing a small shift. This shift is called the drift. This drift can cause a mutation of the virus and develop a new mix of the genetic material which can become highly resistant to any drugs and at the same time will be able to latch on to humans from humans.

How Tamiflu acts

Tamiflu is the drug that one is prescribed with when one is having the Influenza. Tamiflu acts in a different way than other drugs act. They attack the virus at its roots and stop the virus from multiplying in the first phase. Then it goes on to kill the viruses in the body with the help of antibodies in the body. Taking Tamiflu in the first case should be taken within forty eight hours of the symptoms appearing. When taken like this it is highly effective. The course of the prescribed tablets should be taken. You will feel better when you have taken the course of tablets for a period of more than two days. You have to take the tablets for a minimum period of five days. That is ten tablets in whole. In case you have been exposed to the virus and you are not sure of the symptoms then also you can go in for the tablets. As a preventive measure you should take one tablet a day and continue to take it for seven days. When you are taking one tablet a day, remember to take the tablet at the same time everyday or this might reduce the effects of the tablets.

Discovery of Bird Flu

A question posed by most people: For going into this aspect of Tamiflu, I would like to open the doors to the discussion on avian flu or the bird flu. Starting with the discovery of Bird Flu, the discovery of bird flu can be traced back to as early as 1918. But the recorded facts are of quite recent years when a kind of respiratory disease was detected in poultry by farmers in the year 1983. This was rather discovered by the farmers of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is considered as the leading producer of the country’s (United States) poultry products. Quarantine was imposed on the valley which was not lifted for more than a year. This resulted in the culling of more than a million birds in terms of turkeys and chickens.

The estimated losses faced by the farmers of the valley were to a tune of about 40 million dollars. After this mass culling of the birds, the United States was able to contain the disease. This led the United States to pass some regulations on how poultry products should be handled and what should be done by poultry farmers. The United States was aware that the world was sitting on a ticking time bomb. With passage of time, the strains of the flu resurfaced in Hong Kong. A few people lost their lives to the flu. This later on surfaced in different countries in different forms of the viral strain, taking its toll wherever it goes.

Symptoms of Bird Flu

The symptoms of the flu are like any other flu. The reason it is called bird flu is that the flu spreads from the birds to the human beings. One used to suffer from a sore throat and then followed by body pains. This was followed by a feeling of nausea and dizziness. Now the flu has fully taken over. It is very important to recognize the symptoms of the flu at a very early stage. Once the symptoms have been recognized you should follow it up with medication. This being a viral infection, antibiotics cannot play a role. Antibiotics can only cure bacterial infections. Tamiflu is the only drug available in the market to fight viral infections. But as an advice do not take Tamiflu without a discussion with your doctor.

Advantages of Tamiflu

This medicine Tamiflu is advertised as a medicine to cure influenza. Tamiflu is the only medicine that attacks the source of the viral infection and prevents the flu from spreading throughout the body. It is advertised as a medication for adults, adults with flu like symptoms, which has shown up within the last couple of days. However the medication can be taken by children below the age of thirteen also.

Another advantage of Tamiflu is that you can take this medicine as a preventive measure. If you had been exposed to persons who have contacted the flu, you should also take the medicine. But the dosage will vary. Here as a preventive measure you will take only one pill a day. In the case of affected patients, they will go in for to pills a day.

Flu of the type influenza A and influenza B is the only flu that has shown to readily respond to the drug Tami flu. Bird flu is covered under the flu of influenza A. So this type of flu will respond to Tami flu.

In a case you do not respond to the medication Tamiflu contact your doctor or your health case practitioner and ask him as to what could be the problem.