Physicians have found a recently mutated strain of flu that resists the most commonly prescribed treatment, but government health officials say there is no reason to panic. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory recommending for doctors advising them to treat children with H1N1 with a combination of Tamiflu and another drug, Flumadine, as they found the strain was not resistant to this treatment.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of the flu viruses that have been analyzed in the U.S. this season are of the H1N1 strain, which makes them Tamiflu-resistant.
“It would not be our message that the medicine doesn't work. There certainly is a resistant type of virus which we are watching closely, but we're early enough in the season where we don't know what this means for the peak of the season,” said Dr. Joseph Bresee, CDC Influenza Division Chief of Epidemiology and Prevention.
“With the predominance of influenza A H1N1 viruses in the community, we felt compelled to at least alert physicians to the fact that these resistant viruses may be out there, and they may encounter them in practice,” Breese added.
The situation may evolve, however, as the flu season normally reaches its peak between January and March. Experts will continue to monitor the situation.
The other types of flu - influenza B and influenza A H3N2 - can still be treated with Tamiflu, which continues to be the most appropriate treatment. At the same time, all flu viruses can still be treated with GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Relenza antiviral drug or a combination of Roche Holding AG's Tamiflu and a generic drug called rimantadine.
On the other hand, the World Health Organization cautioned Jan.6 that Tamiflu, which is the top-selling flu drug in the world, was unlikely to stop H1N1 viruses spreading in North American and Europe this year.
Influenza and its additional causes, such as pneumonia, cause 250,000 to 500,000 deaths annually, according to WHO. Influenza’s symptoms include chills and fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort. The flu remains infectious for around one week within human body temperature. Serious flu cases can develop in pneumonia, which in young children and the elderly alike can be fatal, which is why the latter two categories are the most urged to get vaccinated against influenza.
This year, the CDC’s recommendations, supported by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the American Academy of Pediatrics, expanded the number of children targeted by flu vaccinations to include all school-age children. In New Jersey, preschoolers are also required to get a vaccine against the germ that causes pneumonia. The most effective flu treatment, Tamiflu, made by Roche, needs to be taken 48 hours after flu symptoms appear, the CDC recommends.
