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 07/07/2009
[Industry news]
Tamiflu resistant swine flu virus detected in HK
The Department of Health, Hong Kong, late last week said that the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) has detected a strain of human swine influenza (HSI) virus which was resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
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The Department of Health, Hong Kong, late last week said that the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) has detected a strain of human swine influenza (HSI) virus which was resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
According to the department, the virus was identified during PHLSB routine sensitivity test of HSI virus to oseltamivir and zanamivir. \"This is the first time Tamiflu resistance in HSI virus found in Hong Kong,\" the department\'s spokesperson said, adding that similar cases were also reported in Denmark and Japan. \"Tests showed that this strain is sensitive to zanamivir (Relenza),\" he said.
The virus is said to be isolated from the specimen taken from a 16-year-old girl came from San Francisco. The girl was tested positive to HSI but opted not to take tamiflu. She had mild symptoms and was eventually discharged upon recovery on June 18. The case will now be reported to the World Health Organization (WHO), the spokesman said. \"We will closely liaise with WHO and overseas health authorities and monitor the global development of antiviral resistant HSI virus,\" he said. The spokesman also noted that PHLSB conducted routine sensitivity tests on specimens taken from confirmed HSI patients. \"This is the only Tamiflu-resistant strain so far among some 200 HSI samples tested in Hong Kong. Further tests are underway,\" he said. |
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