Srinagar, Jan 17 (KNS): With flu season through midway, Doctors Association Kashmir (DAK) today expressed dismay over non-availability of flu antiviral drugs in Kashmir which is putting patients at risk.
Describing them as life saving, President DAK and flu expert Dr Nisar ul Hassan voiced concern over lack of flu antiviral medicines which is taking heavy toll on patients.
Patients suffer immensely because of unavailability of these medicines which are neither available at chemist shops nor in hospitals.
Influenza patients are prescribed antiviral drugs by doctors only being told by pharmacies and hospitals that they are not available.
The chemist shops are licensed to stock these drugs during flu season but are not doing so and no action is taken against them.
The drug department is insensitive to this vital issue and no efforts are made by them to ensure the availability of these drugs.
It is unethical to keep hospitals without these drugs which are life-saving to hospitalized patients.
The most commonly used drug is Tami flu (oseltamivir) which is available as a pill or in liquid form.
Peramivir is an injectable drug used in serious cases where the patient is unconscious and oral or inhaled drug administration is difficult.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Zanamivir, an inhalational drug is reserved for Tami flu resistant cases.
Antiviral drugs reduce severity and duration of infectiousness in individual patients if taken early and protect contacts of infected persons if taken prophylactic ally.
Some studies have suggested that aggressive treatment policies can effectively mitigate local transmission.
For people with a high risk medical condition, treatment with an antiviral can mean difference between having milder illness instead of very serious illness that could result in a hospital stay and even death.
One thing to understand about flu always is that it is unpredictable and we cannot predict what is going to happen in the rest of flu season.
It is possible we could have a season in coming days that is more severe than most with more hospitazations and tragically more deaths.
During previous flu season when we thought worst was over, there was sudden spurt of cases which led to an outbreak and resulted in loss of many precious lives. (KNS)