Health officials from the Salt Lake Valley Health Department have found a recently mutated strain of flu known as Type A H1N1 that resists the most commonly prescribed treatment with oseltamivir (Tamiflu).

 

Tamiflu resistance first emerged several years ago in Europe and Asia. The strain reached the United States this year, according to the federal 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, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At the same time, the World Health Organization cautioned Jan.6 that Tamiflu was unlikely to stop H1N1 viruses spreading in North America and Europe this year.

 

Influenza kills about 36,000 Americans every year, according to the CDC estimates. 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.

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a yearly flu shot as the first step to protect yourself from influenza. Flu shots are recommended for children ages 6 months up to their 19th birthday, pregnant women, people over 50 years of age, individuals with chronic medical conditions and those who care for individuals with a high risk of flu complications.

Doctors are advised to determine the subtype of flu before prescribing Tamiflu to patients.