Children's Anaferon: opinion of Dr. Komarovsky

Mom of every child with frequent ARVI thinks about preventive measures for colds and ways to strengthen the immunity of a daughter or son. For this purpose, she is often advised to use homeopathy, for example, tablets Anaferon for children. But is it worth treating a child with a similar remedy and what does the famous pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky think of him?

Anaferon is a homeopathic remedy from the Russian manufacturer Materia Medica. It is produced in tablets that the patient is advised to dissolve (they have a sweet taste), and small children can be dissolved in a spoonful of water.

The instructions for the tablets indicate that they are capable of stimulating the patient’s humoral and cellular immunity, as well as inhibiting various types of viruses. Most often Anaferon is advised to take with ORVI or for the prevention of influenza. Some doctors prescribe it for other viral diseases, for example, rotavirus or herpes infection.

Contraindications to the use of tablets is very small - this is the age of up to 1 month and individual hypersensitivity to the drug. Side effects, according to the manufacturer, this tool is not available, if you do not exceed the recommended dose. For prophylaxis, 1 tablet per day is prescribed, and the regimen for treatment of influenza or another viral infection depends on the day of illness.

Tablets are sold without a prescription, and their average price is 200 rubles for 20 tablets. Store at home they are advised at room temperature, and if the shelf life has expired (its duration - 3 years from the date of issue), the drug should be discarded.

A popular doctor calls Anaferon a harmless, but useless drug, because he does not believe in its effectiveness. He, like many other medical adherents of evidence-based medicine, compares these tablets with placebo, because the dilution of the active substance in them is very small. In addition, antibodies, acting as an active component of Anaferon, are protein molecules. And even if they get into the patient's stomach, they will simply be digested, like any other proteins from food.

The famous pediatrician notes the fact that homeopathic remedies do not undergo serious research that can confirm their effect on the body. All those clinical trials that can be heard from distributors of homeopathy, as a rule, are carried out by manufacturing companies or in a very small group of people. Believe such studies Komarovsky does not recommend.

According to the popular doctor, the action of the children's Anaferon is noted only by those who trust in homeopathy. Such parents consider homeopathic treatment effective and find confirmation of this. They give children not only Anaferon, but also other means with similar influence - Ergoferon, Aflubin, Agri children, InflucidViburcol Oscillococcinum and other homeopathic medicines.

Modern pediatricians treat them as means with unproven effectiveness. They do not recommend giving such syrups, tablets, suppositories or solutions to young children, although they note their harmlessness. According to doctors, for the prevention of such funds are not needed, especially young children.Much more effective measures to protect children from viruses Komarovsky and other pediatricians called a healthy diet, the correct mode of the day, walking and the optimal microclimate at home.

And now Dr. Komarovsky will tell us in more detail not only about Anaferon, but also other antiviral drugs.