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Monday, August 28, 2006
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian doctors were monitoring a pregnant woman who started taking the antiviral drug Tamiflu after developing symptoms of bird flu, but said Monday they were confident it would not affect her 2-month-old fetus.
The case, however, will be closely watched by scientists who have inadequate data on the use of the medication in pregnant women.
The World Health Organization and the Swiss-based manufacturer of Tamiflu say for the time being, decisions to prescribe the drug should be made only when the potential benefit to the mother justifies the possible risk to the unborn child.
Dr. Luhur Soeroso, who is treating the 35-year-old woman from Sumatra province, said she has been taking the drug for over one week and"so far has not had any problems with her pregnancy."
He said he believed strong antibiotics also being administered to the patient, who continues to suffer from high fever and respiratory problems, were more dangerous to the fetus'development than Tamiflu.
The H5N1 bird flu virus has killed 141 people across the globe since ravaging Asian poultry stocks three years ago, including 46 in Indonesia, according to WHO.
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