WHO in Denial on Tamiflu Resistance and RBD Changes

In the USA outbreak, which involved four severely immuno-compromised patients, cases occurred in a two-week period between mid-October and early November. Three of the four cases were fatal, but the role of H1N1 infection in contributing to these deaths is uncertain.

The above comments are from the WHO update on transmission of H274Y are hospitals in the United States and United Kingdom. As indicated above, the virus was not only was fit enough to transmit human to human, but also lead to fatal infections in the majority of those infected. Although these patients had underlying conditions, the death of three of four demonstrates that the virus is quite virulent.

However, as was seen in comments on the receptor binding domain change in Ukraine which was detected in all four fatal cases, these dramatic developments are discounted in WHO reports. The outbreaks in hospitals are characterized as being somewhat different from the general population. However, although these patients are more likely to develop serious illness, the majority of the human population is naïve for this virus, so initial infection rates would be similar. The immuno-compromised patients are monitored ore closely, so detection in these patients would be increased, but they would be representative of initial infections.

Like the general population, the reports of cases of H274Y have increased dramatically in the past few weeks, how, in contrast to what is implied in the report, is the rate of detection that is alarming. In the US, that rate has increased almost 10 fold in the past few weeks.

Thus, the WHO report is really a denial of the actual resistance situation. The cases in the hospitals are representative of initial infections in the general population and the rate of infection has spike higher leading tyo a large number of new cases, even though a lower number of samples are tested.

The denial of the explosion of H274Y as well as the association of D225G in fatal lung infections raises concerns that these events are being portrayed in an overly optimistic light. Although cases are declining in many parts of the world, these genetic changes in transmission and ant-viral resistance raise concerns that the next wave will be markedly more virulent and difficult to treat at a time when the efficiency of anti-virals and the utility of the vaccine target are in a decline.

WHO in Denial on Tamiflu Resistance and RBD Changes

Oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 H275Y mutations increasing quickly, not confined to immunocompromised

Oseltamivir, or Tamiflu, is an antiviral medication used to treat the swine flu virus. A recent mutation of the H1N1 influenza virus results in resistance to this medication. This H275Y mutation does not affect the effectiveness of Relenza, another antiviral medication. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of cases of swine flu with the H275 mutation that makes it Tamiflu resistant have increased sharply over the past two weeks.

Tamiflu resistant swine flu

The version of the swine flu that emerged initially causes typical flu symptoms, some of which can be severe, particularly in infants and toddlers. Antiviral medications are most effective when given early in the infection, but the H1N1 mutation H275Y causes the antiviral medication known as Tamiflu, or oseltamivir, to be ineffective. Currently, the alternative antiviral medicine, Relenza, also known as zanamivir.

Increases in mutated swine flu

The number of cases of the swine flu virus that have resisted treatment with Tamiflu have increased sharply in recent weeks, according to a December 2 report from the WHO. This report states that the number of Tamiflu-resistant cases have nearly doubled, from 57 to 96 reported cases, in just two weeks. Approximately one-third of these cases have occurred in immunocompromised individuals.

Oseltamivir-resistant H1N1 H275Y mutations increasing quickly, not confined to immunocompromised