Just say no! Don't give tamiflu or relenza to Children!

LONDON: Children under the age of 12 shouldn't be given the common antivirals Tamiflu or Relenza to treat suspected A/H1N1 swine flu, according to research in the British Medical Journal. Speaking on BBC News television, one of the authors of the research report, Matthew Thomson, said giving Tamiflu or Relenza to children under 12 reduces the length of the illness by an average of one day, which he described as a short effect for an illness that lasts about a week. Dr. Thomson also said trials showed the antivirals reduce transmission among children by only 8%, and they could do more harm than good. Tamiflu and Relenza, manufactured by Roche Holdings AG and GlaxoSmithKline PLC, respectively, are two of the most widely prescribed influenza drugs. The U.K. government has purchased 10.6 million doses of Relenza and 7.6 million doses of Tamiflu.