Swine flu medicine available nationwide
Friday, 17 July 2009 22:52
Anti-viral medicine Tamiflu, which is used to treat swine flu symptoms, is now available in chemists around the country.
HSE Director of Population Health Dr Pat Doorley yesterday told a conference in Dublin that patients would be able to get the medicine once it was prescribed by a doctor.
Yesterday, Britain reported a sharp increase in its swine flu death toll.
29 people have now died from swine flu in Britain. 55,000 people are believed to have contracted the virus in the past week alone.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organisation warned that the virus is unstoppable.
WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan also indicated that the availability of a vaccine may be further away than had been anticipated.
Information from clinical trials will not be available for another two to three months and experts said a vaccine may not be generally available until October.
Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has designated $1.8bn for emergency use to fight the virus.
The money will go to buy vaccine ingredients to help health officials plan for immunisation campaigns.
Mr Obama said it will help get the vaccines approved at the US Food & Drug Administration.
The money comes from $7.65bn that the US Congress has already appropriated to the Department of Health & Human Services for the swine flu pandemic.
