Tamiflu-resistant swine flu spreading

Sat, 21 Nov 2009

Amid concerns about increasing numbers of swine flu victims despite the use of a vaccine, officials now warn of a new wave of Tamiflu-resistant strain.

Swine flu continues to spread globally and has already claimed the lives of some 5,000 individuals; the majority of them reported in the US.

Tamiflu, on the other hand, is one of two flu medications effective in treating the affected cases as it not only shortens the duration of the disease, but also reduces the risk of developing complications.

More than 50 resistant cases have been reported in the world since the appearance of the disease in April, including 21 in the US. Four North Carolina patients are the most recent of such cases detected at a single hospital on Friday.

Five other victims identified at the University Hospital of Wales, in the UK are believed to have acquired the infection in hospital, becoming the first confirmed cases of person-to-person transmission of a Tamiflu-resistant strain in the world.

"The emergence of influenza A viruses that are resistant to Tamiflu is not unexpected in patients with serious underlying conditions and suppressed immune systems, who still test positive for the virus despite treatment," said the director of the National Public Health Service for Wale's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Roland Salmon.

He stressed that such resistance strains are not more severe than the strain that has been circulating all around the world since April.

While health officials are concerned regarding the possible outbreak of a Tamiflu-resistant strain of the illness, they urge individuals to take Tamiflu if needed, stressing that Tamiflu is still the most appropriate medication to fight swine flu.