Lower flu vaccinations lead to tami-flu shortage

Flu season is at it’s peak, but there may not be enough medicine to keep up with the demand. Health professionals said as people opt to forego flu vaccinations there is a shortage of tami-flu.

Dr. James Maguire said people don’t understand that the flu is always present.

“The thing that we really have to consider with flu is that this is a disease. We forget that this kills tens of thousands of Americans every year,” he said.

Maguire said a virus like the flu needs proper prevention. But when people ignore this advice, shortages are inevitable.

“Probably a third of the time we have tami-flu shortages,” said Maguire.

Although they don’t work nearly as well, Maguire said there are a few remedies that can help those infected by the flu.

“If you’re not really short of breath, and you’re keeping the fever under control and can stay relatively comfortable, acetaminophen and other over-the-counter flu preps work really well,” he said.