Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Common Flu Exhibits Drug Resistance

Up to 10% of cases in West don't respond to Tamiflu treatment

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 1, 2008 4:39 PM CST

(Newser) – A widespread strain of the influenza virus is proving to be resistant to a common treatment, Time reports. The H1N1 virus, a subtype of influenza A (not to be confused with H5N1, the avian or bird flu) has shown rates of resistance of up to 10% in Europe, Canada, and the US for the drug oseltamivir, sold as Tamiflu.

Health officials said the resistance is not much to worry about. "Influenza A has been circulating for many years," said one. "It's not likely to cause a pandemic." What’s puzzling is the development of resistance. Norway, which doesn’t generally prescribe Tamiflu, saw a 75% resistance rate, but Japan, where Tamiflu use is common, has just a 3% resistance rate.

An undated company photo provided by Swiss pharmaceutical concern Roche Products shows a worker supervising the package of the Tamiflu. (AP Photo/Keystone, Roche) (Associated Press)

A flu shot is administered in Barre, Vt., Thursday, Nov. 18, 2004. Flu vaccine manufacturers said on Thursday, Apr. 19, 2007 that they expect to have a record 132 million doses ready for the 2007-2008... (Associated Press)

The pharmaceutical drug "Tamiflu" of Roche, pictured Sept. 19 2005. (AP Photo/Keystone, Gaetan Bally) (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

2 More Birds Found With Flu in Hong Kong

Concerns grow over H5N1 spread

(NEWSER) - Last month, two dead birds tested positive for the H5N1 virus, prompting Hong Kong authorities to kill some 20,000 more birds; now two more cases have been discovered. Two dead black-headed gulls—frequent winter visitors to the area and discovered separately—were found to have had the disease, fueling new concern over its spread, the AP reports. The new cases follow China's first human death from the disease in more than a year. More»

Gonorrhea Becoming 'Incurable'

STD mutating so fast that antibiotics can't keep up

(NEWSER) - The clap is mutating so quickly that there is a real danger that it will become incurable unless new treatments are developed, British doctors warn. The bacterium that causes gonorrhea—the second most common STD in the US—is remarkably adaptable and has proven resistant to the primary drug used to treat gonorrhea in 20% of UK cases last year, the BBC reports. In 2005, that number was zero. More»

Deadly TB Coursing Through Europe

Thousands will die unless authorities step in: WHO

(NEWSER) - Ominous news from WHO: Incredibly drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are coursing through Europe, and will kill tens of thousands unless health officials intervene. WHO's regional director blamed the resurgence on complacency, noted that the disease "is evolving with a vengeance," and announced the creation of a plan intended to stamp out the pandemic. Reuters reports that documented cases of extensively drug-resistant TB ballooned six-fold between 2008 and 2009, and notes that these drug-resistant forms—which don't respond to first- and second-line courses of antibiotics—typically kill 50% of those who contract it. WHO estimates 81,000 cases of drug-resistant TB surface in Europe each year, reports the BBC . More»

UN: Bird Flu Is Back

Virus is on the rise after declining for years

(NEWSER) - Get ready for a possible resurgence of bird flu: The UN is warning that wild bird migrations have brought the deadly virus to formerly virus-free countries, and adds that a mutant strain of H5N1 is spreading in Asia. The mutant strain can get around the defenses of current vaccines, the UN said in a statement calling for greater surveillance of any possible outbreaks. A 6-year-old girl died Aug. 14 in Cambodia of bird flu, the eight H5N1 death in that country this year, the AP reports. More»

First Drug-Resistant Strain of Gonorrhea Discovered

'Superbug' could spread globally within decades

(NEWSER) - A "superbug" strain of gonorrhea, the first ever to resist all currently recommended treatments, has been discovered in Japan. The strain, called H041, could quickly spread around the globe, scientists warn. While gonorrhea was once an easily treated STD, it has shown a "remarkable capacity" to develop drug resistance after doctors started using antibiotics to treat it in the 1940s, says the scientist who discovered the new strain. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Common Flu Exhibits Drug Resistance

Up to 10% of cases in West don't respond to Tamiflu treatment

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

drug resistant • avian flu • influenza • Tamiflu

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

2 More Birds Found With Flu in Hong Kong

Concerns grow over H5N1 spread

Gonorrhea Becoming 'Incurable'

STD mutating so fast that antibiotics can't keep up

Deadly TB Coursing Through Europe

Thousands will die unless authorities step in: WHO

UN: Bird Flu Is Back

Virus is on the rise after declining for years

First Drug-Resistant Strain of Gonorrhea Discovered

'Superbug' could spread globally within decades

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Common Flu Exhibits Drug Resistance

Up to 10% of cases in West don't respond to Tamiflu treatment

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

drug resistant • avian flu • influenza • Tamiflu

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

2 More Birds Found With Flu in Hong Kong

Concerns grow over H5N1 spread

Gonorrhea Becoming 'Incurable'

STD mutating so fast that antibiotics can't keep up

Deadly TB Coursing Through Europe

Thousands will die unless authorities step in: WHO

UN: Bird Flu Is Back

Virus is on the rise after declining for years

First Drug-Resistant Strain of Gonorrhea Discovered

'Superbug' could spread globally within decades

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?