Even after 5 days of Tamiflu, kids carry virus for 3 weeks

NEW DELHI: Children, mostly below 12 years of age and infected with H1N1 swine flu, can continue to infect those around them for almost three

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weeks after onset of symptoms. Doctors scanning and treatinginfected H1N1 patients in government hospitals across India have found that some children, who were infected with the deadly swine flu virus and cured after a five-day Tamiflu

-regimen, continue to carry the virus in their nasal cavity.

Interestingly, the virus potency reduces in such cases because of which the child remains asymptomatic but then becomes a carrier of the virus capable of infecting others for two more weeks. This phenomenon is also found in people with immuno-suppressive diseases like HIV, infected with H1N1. According to experts, this is usually common in cases infected with seasonal influenza viruses but has now been found to be true even with the novel H1N1 virus.

Speaking to TOI, professor of medicine at AIIMS Dr Randeep Guleria said, “We have scientific evidence which proves than children can be long-term carriers of the H1N1 virus even after they have been completely treated of the infection. Children and HIV patients after the five-day two-times-a-day Tamiflu regimen might not show symptoms of the disease but the virus may continue to line their nasal cavity or throat.”

Dr Guleria added, “This may be primarily because both children and HIV patients have a weak immunity system because of which complete virus eradication takes a longer period. Their body may have managed to eliminate the virus which remains in slight quantities in the nasal passages. This is why the body does not show it is infected after a Tamiflu treatment.” This finding is crucial for India where majority of the cases are in the school-going age group.

A recent analysis of age-based infection amongst 615 positive cases in India by the health ministry had found that the worst affected was the 10-14 year group with the 5-9 years group not far behind.

A scientists at the National Institute of Communicable Diseases told TOI, “Children mostly six years or younger can spread the virus much longer than adults. But the question is whether this is a serious problem because children after five days of Tamiflu show no symptoms. So then don’t cough or sneeze. Therefore, they can’t expose others to infection since influenza viruses spread from person to person primarily through large-particle respiratory droplet transmission.” He added, “Usually when we do find cases where children still harbour the virus after five days of treatment, we add five more days of Tamiflu.”

So what should children once infected with H1N1 and cured do? Dr Guleria said, “They must continue basic cough hygiene like covering their mouths and sneezing for two weeks after being discharged. They must avoid contact with high risk groups.”

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