POINT OF VIEW/ Shiro Namekata: Stock up on drugs ahead of bird flu outbreak IHT/Asahi: January 29, 2004
...If a new strain of flu breaks out, it is also likely to have far more serious consequences than last year's spread of SARS... If this bird flu virus develops into a strain that causes a new flu in humans, existing vaccines would be useless, experts say. However, three kinds of antiviral drugs now used to treat flu are thought to be effective. One is oseltamivir, sold under the brand name Tamiflu. Doctors believe preventive doses of the oral antiviral drug could also help ward off infections.
