Swine Flu Drug ‘Harmful To Children’

Experts say children should not be given the swine flu drug Tamiflu because the negative effects could outweigh the benefits.The Department of Health is under pressure to hold an urgent rethink of its current policy.

The study found that Tamiflu caused vomiting in some children, which can lead to dehydration and complications.

The drug also had little or no effect on asthma flare-ups, ear infections or the likelihood of a youngster needing antibiotics.

Dr Carl Henegan, a GP and expert from the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, said the current policy of giving Tamiflu for mild illness was an “inappropriate strategy”.

He added: “The downside of the harms outweigh the one-day reduction in symptomatic benefits.”

The study comes little over a week after other research found that children given Tamiflu preventatively reported side-effects including nausea and nightmares.