Pharmacist Says There's Plenty Of Tamiflu

The flu outbreak is spreading rapidly, and the CDC says it's the worst strain in almost a decade.

The city of Boston declared a public health emergency after the virus killed more than a dozen people.  More states have declared a widespread outbreak bringing the total number of states dealing with the flu to 44.

In South Dakota, three deaths have been reported and the state could report more by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, Minnesota has reported five flu-related deaths and is limiting the numbers of visitors in some hospitals.

The CDC says that the number of people going to the hospital with flu symptoms has doubled in the past month.

Many of the people admitted to the hospital or in clinics are given a Tamiflu prescription, but it could be hard to find.

Bill Ladwig, the Director of Pharmacy at Lewis, says while it may appear there is a shortage of Tamiflu in some areas of the country, it's a perceived shortage.  Ladwig just returned from a meeting with the manufacturer of Tamiflu and says there is plenty of the medication available; the issue is getting it to the correct place at the correct time.

He says shortages can be created by hoarding, which is what the manufacturer is doing by allocating the medication to make sure if there was a massive outbreak that people are not holding onto the medication where it may not be needed.

We'll take a closer look at South Dakota's Tamiflu inventory tonight on KELOLAND News.