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(NaturalNews) Tamiflu is widely touted as the only stopgap measure available to fight a potential pandemic of avian flu. This antiviral drug is said to reduce the severity of the symptoms but does not offer a cure. Countries are stockpiling millions of doses. The maker, Swiss firm Roche, has seen profits soar as increased media attention is given to the threat of bird flu.

Recently scientists found that Tamiflu does not break down in sewage treatment systems. Like many other pharmaceutical products, this drug is still present after the processes of filtration, treatment with chemicals and digestion by microbes. That means the medication is discharged into lakes and rivers.

Widespread treatment of a population with Tamiflu during a flu season or pandemic could create high levels of the drug in wastewater flowing into waterways. The consequences could have a devastating impact on the way flu strains mutate.

Avian flu originates in waterfowl such as wild ducks. Typically these are low pathogenic influenza viruses of little consequence to humans. But if common human flu recombinates with avian flu in the presence of drugs such as Tamiflu, new strains could develop built-in resistance to these medications.

A study published by Public Library of Science (Plos) reports this pattern of resistance is already evident. During the 2004-05 flu season in Japan, six million people were treated with Tamiflu. Now that country has significantly increased rate of resistance to Tamiflu, even in those who did not take the drug.

Tamiflu does not break down in sewage treatment process www.physorg.com/news110616268.html

Tamiflu resistance in Japan

www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/04/03/influenza-drugs.html

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