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Tamiflu-resistant swine flu spreads 'between patients'
bbc ^

Posted on 11/20/2009 11:42:57 AM PST by darkside321

Health officials say a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu has spread between hospital patients.

Five patients on a unit treating people with severe underlying health conditions at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff were infected.

Three appear to have acquired the infection in hospital.

They are thought to be the first confirmed cases of person-to-person transmission of a Tamiflu-resistant strain in the world.

There have been several dozen reports around the world of people developing resistance to Tamiflu while taking the drug - but they have not passed on the strain to others.

Just one possible cases of person-to-person transmission of a resistant strain has been recorded - between two people at a US summer camp - and this has never been confirmed.

Two of the University Hospital Wales patients have recovered and have been discharged from hospital, one is in critical care and two are being treated on the ward.

The health officials stressed there was no risk to anyone else.

They said tests were being carried out to confirm exactly what happened.

The UK has bought enough doses of Tamiflu, which can shorten the duration of swine flu and reduce the risk of complications, for half the population.

Serious concern

So any spread of a Tamiflu-resistant strain of the illness is a serious public health concern.

The H1N1 virus has been remarkably stable since it emerged in April, but virologists had been half expecting new resistant strains to emerge.

Dr Roland Salmon, director of the National Public Health Service for Wale's Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, said: "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...

(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: flu; h1n1; influenza; patients; resistant; spreads; swineflu; tamiflu
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To: hennie pennie

Sorry I forgot to check with a real expert -——must be the effects of global warming ;)


21 posted on 11/20/2009 12:48:24 PM PST by the long march
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To: Allegra

As far as i know you are immune for some time after you had it. but then again i guess you are only immune for the exact virus strain you had. and since its a given fact that the virus mutates you can easy get it again.


22 posted on 11/20/2009 12:48:53 PM PST by darkside321
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To: Allegra

The cough is the one thing that’s lasted. I just can’t get rid of it but other than that I feel perfect.


23 posted on 11/20/2009 12:48:58 PM PST by Aria ( "The US republic will endure until Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the people's $.")
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To: SWAMPSNIPER
I have been steering clear of doctors offices (as much as possible) and avoiding crowds too. My granddaughter just called and asked me to take her someplace tomorrow and she sounds like she has a terrible cold. I asked her if it was Swine flu and she laughed and said no. I certainly hope not!
24 posted on 11/20/2009 12:54:21 PM PST by Ditter
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To: Allegra

Allegra, take plenty of vitamin D3 and you will NOT get it again.

I only know of one immune-compromised child who did get it twice. In July and in November.


25 posted on 11/20/2009 12:58:11 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: darkside321

See my 25. This little boy was tested both times by his specialist at UCLA, for H1N1, the expensive test, because he has other health issues.

He really did get H1N1 twice. Who knows, maybe it was a different mutation because it was 4 months between getting it. This beautiful little boy got through it even with compromised lungs, two times. He’s fine.


26 posted on 11/20/2009 1:01:23 PM PST by Yaelle
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To: DonaldC

Must have got another batch of vaccine ready, coz they are ramping up the scare tactics again.....


27 posted on 11/20/2009 1:53:26 PM PST by Freddd (CNN is not credible.)
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To: GeronL
You've been there?

University of Wales hospital routinely places patients in large understaffed wards. It is your typical NHS hospital with minimal care. No surprises here.

28 posted on 11/20/2009 2:04:07 PM PST by doberville
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To: Aria

Our son got it before it was a big deal in the media, and the bad part was over in about 4 days for him without taking Tamiflu. However, he developed a cough that lasted for several weeks due to it being very windy at the time. He played several baseball games in high winds, and that further complicated his lung problems. We never went to the doctor over this for him or any of our other children who also became ill. I’m so glad we had it early, or I might have succumbed to the hysteria. (I hope I wouldn’t, but there’s the media scare of “but what if you wait too long to go to the doctor AND YOU DIE” mentality that could cause me to break down and go to the doctor. heh)

As for getting it twice, we have a child with some odd allergies. Sometimes that child has to take prednisone because it’s the only thing that takes care of the swelling/hives. Anywho, that child took prednisone while swine flu was going through school/sports teams, and the child had the same exact symptoms (high fever, cough, sore throat) for about 24 hours until the prednisone wore off and the antibodies replenished and fought off the second go round. It was bizarre and fascinating to see. (prednisone lowers the body’s immunity to viruses/bugs/etc.)


29 posted on 11/20/2009 2:19:15 PM PST by petitfour (Are you a Dead Fish American?)
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To: doberville

I have not been there. I know that semi-private rooms are very very rare there. Its amazing how far backwards we can go with govcare.


30 posted on 11/20/2009 2:20:16 PM PST by GeronL
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To: Yaelle
I only know of one immune-compromised child who did get it twice. In July and in November.

I hope the little one is OK. It certainly isn't any fun.

I'm sure I got it because I had just come from overseas where I work and they didn't have it there yet, so I hadn't been exposed to it at all. I got it less than a week after returning home.

I take D3 and I also get a healthy amount of sun.

I refuse to get it again. ;-)

31 posted on 11/20/2009 3:56:58 PM PST by Allegra (It doesn't matter what this tagline says...the liberals are going to call it "racist.")
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To: Aria
The cough is the one thing that’s lasted. I just can’t get rid of it but other than that I feel perfect.

That's exactly how it went with me.

And just when I thought the cough would never go away, it finally did. You'll ditch it eventually.

32 posted on 11/20/2009 3:59:23 PM PST by Allegra (It doesn't matter what this tagline says...the liberals are going to call it "racist.")
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To: Yaelle
Who knows, maybe it was a different mutation because it was 4 months between getting it.

Sounds like Wave 1, Wave 2. Perfect timing. Doesn't seem to be any need for genetic drift in order to be re-infected.

33 posted on 11/20/2009 4:07:57 PM PST by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture)
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To: darkside321
"Hell of a way to run a hospital."


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

34 posted on 11/20/2009 4:21:29 PM PST by The Comedian (Evil can only succeed if good men don't point at it and laugh.)
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To: The Comedian

Whatta Strain!


35 posted on 11/20/2009 4:25:59 PM PST by MHGinTN (Obots, believing they cannot be deceived, it is impossible to convince them when they are deceived.)
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To: GeronL
I visited family there when an uncle had kidney failure. As an RN used to American standards, I was shocked and appalled. This was something out of a WWII movie!

The ambiance of the ward was pre-1950. Long lines of beds with continuous florescent lights and no dividers.

No treatments were being given. No IVs or leads to monitors. One patient had urine monitored via catheter. There were no nurses to be seen - either in the ward or in the corridor.

A man I had seen sitting by his bed in street clothes was dead the next day.

Nothing here made any sense.

36 posted on 11/21/2009 10:04:29 AM PST by doberville
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To: doberville

I believe it. Haven’t you ever wondered why we don’t know of any shows like ER or House from the UK? Maybe they just don’t export shows that might show wards instead of semi-private rooms?


37 posted on 11/21/2009 11:39:28 AM PST by GeronL
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To: Allegra

There is a Tamiflu resistant mutation going around now...


38 posted on 11/21/2009 6:34:30 PM PST by GeronL
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