Tamiflu FAQ's
- How effective is the anti-viral medication Tamiflu against bird flu?
- Will Tamiflu cure people sick with the bird flu virus, H5N1?
- Does Tamiflu prevent people from getting influenza?
- How does Tamiflu work?
- Can Tamiflu be given to children?
- Who will get the Tamiflu the Government is stockpiling?
- What is post-exposure prophylaxis?
- I'm worried about bird flu and an influenza pandemic. Is Tamiflu available, should I wish to add it to my first aid kit?
- Will masks help protect me and my family from the influenza virus?
How effective is the anti-viral medication Tamiflu against bird flu?
Tamiflu is one of two prescription medicines that are effective to some degree against the strains of avian influenza circulating in birds in Asia.
The WHO has advised all health authorities to stockpile anti-viral medicines to prepare for a pandemic. New Zealand has followed that advice.
Will Tamiflu cure people sick with the bird flu virus, H5N1?
We don't know for sure.
When people have seasonal influenza, rather than killing the virus, Tamiflu reduces severity of symptoms and may shorten the duration of illness by a day and a half.
If otherwise healthy people who are ill with influenza take it, they are less likely to develop complications of influenza. Those complications are usually treated with antibiotics.
Does Tamiflu prevent people from getting influenza?
Yes it does, but it is not the best means of preventing influenza. Vaccination is the best protection against influenza, which is why people are encouraged to immunise against seasonal influenza every year.
For more information on how Tamiflu works against influenza, see the Tamiflu datasheet on the Medsafe website.
How does Tamiflu work?
It is a prescription medicine that only works against influenza viruses A and B.
It does not work against other viruses or bacteria that can cause illness similar to influenza or that can cause respiratory infection. If taken within 48 hours of becoming ill it stops the virus from bursting out of infected cells, infecting new cells and possibly other people.
Can Tamiflu be given to children?
Yes, it can be used to treat influenza in children aged over 1 year of age, and is licensed for this group in New Zealand.
Who will get the Tamiflu the Government is stockpiling?
Clearly, in an influenza pandemic, there will be a need to use Tamiflu in the most effective way. Details of how it will be prioritised and used can only be confirmed once we know the exact nature of the pandemic.
At this stage, we can say it is likely that Tamiflu will largely be used for treating people who are sick.
It may also be used to "ringfence" an outbreak in its very early stages. However it is very important to reiterate that the policy is not yet finalised.
Tamiflu will be only part of New Zealand's overall response to a pandemic.
What is post-exposure prophylaxis?
Post-exposure prophylaxis is what happens when you take a medicine or get a vaccination after being exposed to a virus, before you get symptoms. This can stop you getting symptoms or becoming sick.
Examples of post-exposure prophylaxis used routinely now include when protecting against possible rabies or HIV infection.
I'm worried about bird flu and an influenza pandemic. Is Tamiflu available, should I wish to add it to my first aid kit?
This is something you will need to discuss with your doctor. Tamiflu is a prescription-only medicine in New Zealand and is not subsidised by the Government.
Whether it is prescribed by a GP to a patient or not, at the patient's request, is at the discretion of the GP. The issues that would have to be covered in a consultation would then be the specific indications for the use of the medicine and the importance of timely administration, emphasising that the best way to prevent influenza is by vaccination.
The Ministry of Health cannot restrict the prescribing of a registered medicine which is not Government funded. With a prescription, Tamiflu can be purchased at community pharmacies, but some pharmacies may have to order in stock.
It is worth noting that any community prescriptions for Tamiflu will not come from the Government's national stockpile
Will masks help protect me and my family from the influenza virus?
You might want to include some masks. Buy a small supply of standard surgical masks from a pharmacy or you could use the sort you get in a hardware store to protect yourself when sanding or using solvents. If you or one of your household gets sick with the flu, consider putting on a mask if you or they are in, or need to be in, a public place while making their way home. They should wear a mask only for a short period of time. The mask will need to be changed when it gets wet from sneezing and coughing.
A surgical mask, if put on someone who is sick, will help reduce the spread of infection, because it will hold the virus in the coughs and sneezes close to that person. People who are not sick and who are very close to the person who is coughing and sneezing - closer than 1 metre - may get some protection by covering their own nose and mouth with a mask. Again, this is because the mask will catch the virus in the cough and sneeze droplets.