BIRD FLU MEDICINE FAILURE – VIETNAM
October 1st, 2005
BY KEITH NUTHALL
EXPORTS in Hong Kong have warned that the human H5N1 strain of avian flu detected in northern Vietnam this year has proved resistant to Tamiflu, the commercial brand of oseltamivir, the powerful antiviral drug considered the best chance of fighting the disease, especially if human-to-human transmission arose. Dr William Chui, an associate professor at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, has said that health authorities should no longer rely on Tamiflu, which reports say is also being resisted by some common human flu viruses in Japan.
EXPORTS in Hong Kong have warned that the human H5N1 strain of avian flu detected in northern Vietnam this year has proved resistant to Tamiflu, the commercial brand of oseltamivir, the powerful antiviral drug considered the best chance of fighting the disease, especially if human-to-human transmission arose. Dr William Chui, an associate professor at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong, has said that health authorities should no longer rely on Tamiflu, which reports say is also being resisted by some common human flu viruses in Japan.
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