Friday, October 28, 2005;Posted: 10:50 a.m. EDT (14:50 GMT)CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Worried that bird flu in Asia could morph into a human flu pandemic, healthy patients, schools and even some doctors are asking if they should stock up on Tamiflu -- the one medicine experts believe might help fight the virus.Although some doctors' groups say no, the agency in charge of the nation's public health has no answer. That has frustrated local health officials who want to know how to advise people."Those are questions that are under discussion," Christina Pearson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said this week.
"Right now we're focused on the seasonal flu."HHS includes the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whose job includes dispensing public health recommendations."A lot of people have asked the CDC to provide some guidance about this, with patients asking doctors for prescriptions," said Dr. Craig Conover, medical director for the Illinois Department of Public Health.Personal hoarding isn't fair, he said, "but on the other hand, I have heard people say that the more this gets used, the more manufacturing ability they'll develop. We've chosen to wait for CDC guidance on this."Tamiflu is a prescription pill designed to treat regular flu. But it also seems to offer some protection to people against the type of flu that has devastated Asian poultry flocks and is spreading to birds in Europe. Bird flu has killed more than 60 people over the past two years.
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