In tough flu year, CDC touts prompt Tamiflu prescriptions

Flu seasons are never good, but this year's is shaping up as a notably nasty one. It's dominated by a strain of virus — known as H3N2 — that tends to cause more severe symptoms and is a poor match for this year's vaccine. And we're still right in the middle of it. So today, CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden issued this new, Tamiflu-touting message to reporters and the public: "Anti-viral flu medications are greatly under-utilized. But if you get the flu, and if you get medicines early, they could keep you out of the hospital; they could keep you from having to go into the intensive care unit; and they might even save your life."