Effectiveness of Tamiflu in Curing Influenza

Influenza, commonly known as flu, is a viral infection that can strike people of all ages. Confused frequently with the common cold, this disease is usually accompanied by symptoms such as fever, moderate to severe cough, sore throat, body aches and headache, and a general feeling of tiredness. While these symptoms may also be found in common cold, severity of the infection in case of common cold is not that alarming and recovery is generally possible within a few days. The flu virus is transmittable through air and body contact, so special precaution needs to be taken for preventing contagion. Tamiflu is a WHO-approved antiviral medicine used for prevention and treatment of influenza. It is available only on prescriptions, so you need to consult a registered medical practitioner before using it for flu treatment.

Knowing the danger
The viruses that cause influenza in mammals and birds belong to the group orthomyxoviridae, an RNA virus family. There are 3 virus-types of flu – type 'A', type 'B' and type 'C'.  The type 'A' virus is the most deadly of all, causing pandemics many times before, affecting human population and birds alike. Subtypes of influenza 'A' include H1N1, H1N2 and H3N2, out of which the H1N1 variety is clinically tested to be the most threatening to humans. The classification is made on the basis of 2 surface proteins – hemagglutinin (H) and neuramidase (N). So H1N1, for example, means the virus contains hemagglutinin variation 1 and neuramidase variation 1.

Type 'B' and type 'C' variants are not so dangerous and they do not contain viruses that have antigenic features. So humans are usually able grow immune to these two types very early.

How is flu caused?
The highly pathogenic flu viruses are mutable in nature. As a result of this, they keep changing genetically, giving very little chance for drugs to act effectively. Once infected, the viruses replicate in living cells through the process of viral binding.

How does Tamiflu work?
Tamiflu, manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals, is a potent prescription drug for prevention and cure of influenza. It contains oseltamivir as its active ingredient. The medicine has been proven effective for treating human flu, bird flu and swine flu. Available in strengths of 75mg, the drug prevents flu by working on the base of the flu virus, preventing it from replicating. If administered for flu prevention, Tamiflu oseltamivir kills the viruses altogether with the help of body proteins. Go through the following points to know about its usage:

Should be taken within 48 hours from the outbreak of symptoms


• The entire course must be completed


• For treatment, the prescribed dose is two 75mg capsules every day for 5 days; for prevention,  a single capsule daily for minimum of 10 days

If taken within 48 hours from noticing the first symptoms, Tamiflu is quite effective in curing the condition. Its side effects are not so harmful and you can easily buy the medicine