Should I begin taking antiviral medications such as Tamiflu® if I'm planning a visit to another country known to have avian or bird flu?

Dr. Anthony Fauci
Director, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Disease

You should abide by the CDC and WHO guidelines, that if you go to countries in which there is active bird flu going on, that you don't go into chicken farms and handle chickens, and put yourself to exposure that way.  But notwithstanding that, there is no indication, whatsoever, if you're traveling to Southeast Asia, or to any of the other countries, that you should be taking prophylactic antiviral drugs.  If you're taking antivirals, some of these have toxic side effects.  If people inappropriately take antivirals, they can contribute to the possibility of there being the development of resistance of standard seasonal flu, which you don't want to do.