Little link between teen`s fall,Tamiflu: watchdog

Korea`s health watchdog said Sunday there is little evidence that antiviral drug Tamiflu had caused a teenager to hallucinate and jump from his family`s apartment, according to Yonhap News.

On Oct. 30, police found a 14-year-old student unconscious outside his apartment building in Bucheon, west of Seoul, with fractured legs and arms. He told police he had experienced hallucinations after taking Tamiflu and could not remember what happened.

"We concluded that there is very little link between the teenager`s fall and Tamiflu, based on the findings of an epidemiological survey and professional opinion," the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said in a statement.

The ministry, however, stressed that teenagers require very close observation at least for two days after taking Tamiflu and advised doctors and pharmacists to alert their parents.

Government authorities said Saturday they were unsure whether the boy fell from a sixth-floor window of his home or whether he just fell down the stairs. He had returned home earlier that day after visiting a hospital for a high fever.

The student claimed to have no memory of how he suffered the injuries, saying that he had experienced hallucinations after being prescribed the Tamiflu at the hospital, according to police.