Stupidity and greed, the most dangerous combination in the world. Several pharmacies have been selling Tamiflu like water -3 times its original price, of course- to panicky citizens -who are not even sick yet.
Plus the hospitals also treating everything mildly suspicious with it:
[quote]Michael Malison, a professor at Emory University in Atlanta who also works for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said over-utilization would not be a wise decision even if oseltamivir, commonly known under the trade name Tamiflu, were free and available at every clinic and everywhere in Taiwan.
Chang Shan-chwen, the Deputy Minister of the Department of Health (DOH), echoed the sentiment but added that local authorities carry other concerns, such as keeping the number of severe infections and deaths at bay.
Local health authorities have recently relaxed restrictions with which the antiviral drug is prescribed, particularly in the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, allowing anyone who tests positive for the novel virus immediate antiviral treatment, regardless of the severity of symptoms.
According to the American expert, people with respiratory distress or are having difficulty breathing should seek medical care, probably be hospitalized, and receive oseltamivir very early during the course of their illness – the earlier the better.
But lying somewhere between nobody getting oseltamivir and everybody getting it is the right course of action, Malison added.
[/quote]
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/08/29/222477/Dont-overuse.htm
How many Tamiflu resistant case have they found here? 3? Any surprises there?