Experts: Dangers in over-treating flu symptoms

Even as cases of swine flu continue to be reported all across Long Island, health experts are cautioning against getting treatment for mild symptoms for fear of making the virus more powerful. Doctors

News 12 Staff

May 22, 2009, 12:45 AM

Updated 5,595 days ago

Share:

Even as cases of swine flu continue to be reported all across Long Island, health experts are cautioning against getting treatment for mild symptoms for fear of making the virus more powerful.
Doctors say not everyone who shows flu-like symptoms is being tested for swine flu and rightly so. Infectious disease specialist Dr. Aaron Glatt says doctors are treating patients based on the severity of the symptoms and any underlying medical problems that may be present.
Glatt, President and CEO of New Island Hospital, says people with flu symptoms should not panic and get tested or treated.
"If somebody has symptoms for a couple of days, a little sore throat, runny nose, beginning to get better?, to test, evaluate and treat that person would not be a smart thing from a medical point of view," Glatt says.
Glatt goes even further to say the mass use of flu medicines for mild symptoms could create a resistant strain of the H1N1 virus.
However, many parents say ?better safe than sorry? when it comes to their children. Especially, they say, because the illness seems to be spreading so quickly.
"Everybody should take the right precautions and protect their children,? Syosset mom Cheryl Vecchio says.