Hong Kong: 2nd Tamiflu-resistant swine flu case detected

[Gert van der Hoek]

Tamiflu-resistant swine flu case detected


The Centre for Health Protection has detected the first local human swine flu case resistant to Tamiflu, involving a 40-year-old woman resident of a home for the disabled in Eastern District.

Centre Controller Dr Thomas Tsang said today she started taking Tamiflu on July 15 after 21 people at the home fell ill the day before. She came down with a fever, cough and sore throat on July 21 and was sent to Eastern District Hospital. She was confirmed to be infected with swine flu and later recovered.

Laboratory tests available today showed her virus sample was resistant to Tamiflu - the only one among the 21 cases at the home.

Describing the woman's case as an isolated one, Dr Tsang said there is no sign of Tamiflu-resistant cases spreading at the home.

http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/h...814en05006.htm

[Gert van der Hoek]

HK finds 2nd Tamiflu-resistant swine flu case

Associated Press

2009-08-14

Hong Kong has reported a second case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu in a woman who was given the drug preventatively.

Controller of the city's Center for Health Protection Thomas Tsang said Friday the 40-year-old woman took the anti-viral drug last month after dozens of people with whom she worked fell ill with the virus.

Tsang says the Tamiflu-resistant strain did not appear to have spread beyond the woman.

It is the seventh case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu that have been reported worldwide since the virus was detected in April. Denmark, Canada and Japan also have reported cases.

http://www.etaiwannews.com/etn/news_...ss=news_Health

[HenryN]

Pediatic (0-4 years old) hosptal admission (figure 5) in Hong Kong are going off the chart

http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/FLU_..._32_2009as.pdf

[HenryN]

Flu (half swine H1N1 and half seasonal H3N2) account for the vast majority of viral isolates

http://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/Resu...o_09082009.pdf

[HenryN]

Commentary

[jeanne]

Hong Kong reports Tamiflu-resistant swine flu case
August 15th, 2009
physorg.com

Hong Kong health authorities have reported the first local case of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu in the southern Chinese territory.

The Centre for Health Protection (CPH) said Friday that the case involved a 40-year-old female resident of a home for the disabled.

CPH controller Dr Thomas Tsang said the woman started taking Tamiflu on July 15 after 21 people at the home fell ill and was later confirmed to be infected with swine flu.

Laboratory tests available Friday showed the virus sample from the woman, who has since recovered, was resistant to Tamiflu, the main anti-viral flu drug.

Describing the case as an isolated one, Dr Tsang said there was no sign of Tamiflu-resistant flu spreading at the home.

Early last month Hong Kong announced it had detected a strain of the H1N1 virus that was resistant to Tamiflu involving a 16-year-old girl who arrived from San Francisco. She was later discharged from hospital.

The health department said Friday there had been a total of 6,640 cases of swine flu in the city.

When Hong Kong discovered its first swine flu case in early May, health authorities quarantined about 300 guests and staff at a hotel where the carrier, a Mexican national, had briefly stayed.

In June, authorities ordered all primary schools in the city to be closed for two weeks after the first cluster of local swine flu cases was found.

(c) 2009 AFP