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c economist suntribune news thursday jan 202000 3 attacking the annual onslaught of aches and pains drug might beat flu epidemic by jennifer brown staff writer you feel achy tired and feverish its a feeling that has knocked thousands on their backs this winter but you dont have to suffer thanks to new antiviral medications now approved in canada for every year until now manag ing the flu is what your mother taught you get rest and drink plenty of fluids but now we have some treatments that work and are tolerable said michael silverman an infectious disease control special ist from the oshawa site of lakeridge health corporation silverman was speaking to a group of markham pharmacists and family doctors last week about two new flu drugs relenza and tamiflu released in canada this winter these are breakthrough drugs said silverman explaining they are designed to target the flu virus before it becomes full blown reduc ing the duration and severity of suf fering if the flu is caught soon enough the drugs will reduce the incidence of complications in the elderly and other highrisk patients and lower their need for antibiotics every year the flu translates into 15 million days of lost work and in worst cases up to 7000 people will die of the flu the flu virus infects the cells that line the inside of the respiratory tract some symptoms are from the effects of the virus in the respiratory tract such as a cough or a sore throat but other symptoms are from the immune system trying to fight the virus such as fever headache chills and muscle aches the probability is high that another dangerous new strain of the influenza virus will emerge in an average year one in six canadians or five million people are affected by the flu with up to 75000 hospitalized half of those being elderly the worst flu outbreak occurred after the first world war between 1918 and 1919 when the spanish flu killed 20 million people and silverman said another worldwide bought of deadly flu is on its way again epidemiologists believe the probability is high that another dan gerous new strain of the influenza virus will emerge but until scientists determine what that dangerous strain will be the new flu drugs can go a long way to preventing misery this year and they have few if any sideeffects when inhaled namivir known under the brand name relenza is immediately deposited to the respi ratory tract using a diskhalerjor puffer it requires that users take two inhalations of the medication in the morning and two in the afternoon for five days preferably within two days of feeling symptoms tamiflu the pill form is also quickly absorbed if the drug is taken after the first 48 hours of symptoms appearing and the fever disappears viral repli cation has finished the flu is recognized by two main symptoms a high fever of between 37 and 40 c a prominent headache andor aches and pains other symptoms include extreme exhaustion fatigue weakness and coughing if you have two of those symp toms there is a 70percent chance you have the flu unlike a cold people can usual ly tell you when and what time their flu started its a very sudden onset silverman said silverman says relenza is easily taken and provides fast results in tests 91 per cent of patients who tried the drug were able to take in 90 per cent of the medicine but silverman cautioned that the drugs are not a replacement for the flu vaccine arid are not yet being used as a preventive treatment frozen fun staff photomike barrett scudding across the frozen expanse of a local pond are christina rajack and her daughters natalie 2 and kristiana 7 phototorstar network york regional police surrounded a shoplifting suspect after a pur suit on hwy 404 last thursday injuries too minor to warrant probe police caught on tape appear to kick and pistolwhip suspect by rick vanderlinde staff writer the provinces special investigations unit isnt probing a controversial takedown by york regional police on hwy 404 last week because the suspects injuries arent considered serious enough it doesnt fit their mandate said supt don kirk head of york regions internal affairs unit they only get involved if the person is deemed to suffer seri ous injury under the police services act a police force involved in a high- speed pursuit must inform the siu if a suspect is seriously injured or killed the police watchdog has a specific definition of serious injury a definition york police dont believe fits the suspects injuries the arrest which occurred on hwy 404 near steeles avenue fol lowing a chase was caught on a video camera by a helicopter news crew during the arrest a knife- wielding shoplifting suspect was struck on the head twice with police handguns it appears he was struck on the back of the head the first time to stop him from fleeing and was struck a second time to stop him from getting up although the suspect is hid den from the cameras view one officer appears to stomp on the mans legs three or four times while he is lying behind a stolen truck siu spokesperson gail scala said although york regional police never deemed the injuries serious enough to inform the siu investigators are following the case through the media if we had some concerns we may still look into a case scala said but unless we had different information from somewhere else then we would assume the police position was the case police assertions that the toronto man wasnt seriously injured contradict television reports that he was severely beat en by about 12 officers chief julian fantino told reporters last week he initiated an investigation by internal affairs in response to inflamma tory accounts by television media television reports said police had beat him to a pulp and pistolwhipped him fantino said as a result we need to clear the air and get to the bottom of things while the suspect may have been bloodied during the arrest that blood may have come from a police officer whose had was cutduring the melee that officer required some stitches but how he was cut i cant say thats part of the investi gation said kirk who is heading the internal probe the suspect is cherged with assault with a weapon however that charge was not connected to a officer being cut the charge regards a security guard who was threatened with a knife while try ing to arrest a man for shoplifting just before the chase erteee klassigs womens fashions off regular ticket prices c a aufau winter fasruon shop early for the best selection excludes new spring arrivals 137 main st north qa qqqo markham village awhjoo wwwstarpagescompeppertreeklassics the tour wedding gift store 134 robinson st markham village 2946085 ma wonderful winter sale january 26th february 6th the infrequent but genuine glas store m v has become v a tradition because 1 il