United Nations: Issuing a new set of guidelines for the use of drugs against swine flu, the World Health Organisation has said otherwise patients with uncomplicated illnesses do not need to take antiviral drugs.
According to the new guidelines, patients with uncomplicated illnesses do not need to be treated with antiviral medicines.
The guidelines emphasised using drugs such as oseltamivir and zanamivir, to which the pandemic virus is susceptible, to prevent severe illness and deaths, reduce the need for hospitalisation and shorten hospital stays.
When properly prescribed, oseltamivir is found to significantly curb the risk of pneumonia, a leading cause of death for both the pandemic and seasonal influenza, it said.
WHO recommends treatment with the drug for the patients who are critical or whose condition is deteriorating severely.
And the places where oseltamivir is not available, zanamivir can be given. The virus is currently resistant to a second class of antiviral, known as M2 inhibitors.
As pregnant women are among the groups considered to be at increased risk, WHO recommends that they receive antiviral treatment as soon as possible after the onset of symptoms.
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