By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

A woman has died after taking Tamiflu to prevent H1N1 influenza A.

The deceased woman was in her 30s and lived in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, according to regional medical sources. She died Saturday afternoon, 29 hours after taking the antiviral drug.

The woman checked into a hospital Friday morning after suffering from a fever. The hospital diagnosed it as a common cold but prescribed Tamiflu as a preventative measure.

The doctors were quoted as saying that it was unclear whether the death was due to complications from the vaccine.

Experts warn against the abuse of Tamiflu. The National Health Service in the United Kingdom said the drug can have side effects. Another report showed that about 20 percent of children who take the drug suffer from neuropsychiatric side effects such as poor concentration, the inability to think clearly and problems in sleeping, among others.

Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, said the product can also cause serious skin and allergic reactions as well as mild cases of nausea and vomiting.

It also revealed that there have been a total of 15,887 cases of side effects reported worldwide as of July this year, with 4,202 of them labeled as "critical."

The Korea Food and Drug Administration said it had been notified of 18 cases of potential side effects. Reports have surfaced that Tamiflu-resistant variants of the H1N1 virus are appearing.

U.S. drug experts have called for the prudent use of the drug.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr