Tamiflu Prevented Pneumonia During H1N1 Pandemic

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Tamiflu Prevented Pneumonia During H1N1 Pandemic

Hong Kong) -- The drug Tamiflu may have saved young adults from developing

life threatening pneumonia during the H1N1 pandemic in 2009.

That's the bottom line in a new study from China that looked at nearly 1,300

Chinese patients who were confirmed with an H1N1 infection last year.

Their average age was 20 and 76-percent were treated with Tamiflu.

Twelve-percent developed signs of pneumonia but none ended up in intensive care.

After discounting factors like age, sex, flu vaccination and antibiotic

treatment, the researchers concluded that Tamiflu treatment was a significant

protective factor against pneumonia.

The H1N1 pandemic has been declared over but the virus has joined the mix of

seasonal influenza viruses.

While H1N1 affects young adults and children more severely than seasonal flu,

it's the more common disease that hits elderly people hardest.

Complete study results are available in Wednesday's " British Medical Journal. "

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