Japan's 1st case of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 influenza detected

Friday 03rd July, 02:27 PM JST

TOKYO —

The health ministry said Thursday it has detected a genetic mutation of the new H1N1 strain of influenza A that develops resistance to Tamiflu, marking the first case of the new influenza in Japan that did not respond to the anti-flu drug. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said the Tamiflu-resistant virus was detected in a woman in her 40s infected with the new influenza in Osaka Prefecture. The first case of HINI that showed resistance to Tamiflu was reported in Denmark at the end of last month. The patient in Osaka is already recovering after being administered Relenza, another anti-flu drug.

According to the ministry, the female patient had been administered Tamiflu since May 18 as a preventive measure after she was found to have had close contact with another confirmed infected patient the previous day. She developed a slight fever on May 24 and was confirmed infected with the new influenza on May 28. An analysis of a virus taken from her detected the genetic mutation that does not respond to Tamiflu on June 18. There is no sign of any further spread of the Tamiflu-resistant virus as no other cases of the HINI influenza were reported around the patient, the ministry added.

Kyodo

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13 Comments

Farmboy at 06:43 PM JST - 3rd July

Well, that's not good.
kirakira25 at 07:16 PM JST - 3rd July

I'd love to know how mnay people are currently infected in Japan - it all seems to have gone very quiet recently and I don't buy the tourism minitry's view that it is all over for a second.

Last night on the news here in the UK, the ogvernment announced that based on current figures they are expecting to see 100,000 new cases a day by the end of August. Scary stuff, but at least they are being honest. We are returning to Japan at the end of this month - would love to know what the real situation is there.
Farmboy at 07:34 PM JST - 3rd July

kirakira,

Try http://flutracker.rhizalabs.com/. The number in Japan is a bit over 1100 confirmed.
griff at 07:49 PM JST - 3rd July

roche shareholders must be crying into their milk...
as_the_crow_flies at 08:34 PM JST - 3rd July

I'd love to know how mnay people are currently infected in Japan - it all seems to have gone very quiet recently and I don't buy the tourism minitry's view that it is all over for a second.

Last night on BBC news here in the UK, the British government announced that based on current figures they are expecting to see 100,000 new cases a day by the end of August. Scary stuff, but at least they are being honest. We are returning to Japan at the end of this month - would love to know what the real situation is there.

BBC Map puts the latest figure in Japan at 1266 - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8083179.stm Basically the Japanese government policy is *"make like it's not happening, and it's not happening." *Can't see otherwise why UK health officials would be projecting 100,000 new cases a day within 2 months while Japan's outbreak by contrast, appears to have officially ceased to be newsworthy. They aren't publishing numbers of new infections now. Only yesterday at a conference on swine flu in Mexico, it has been declared unstoppable. Just don't expect to get any clear information before you come to Japan.
IvanCoughalot at 10:52 PM JST - 3rd July

Just don't expect to get any clear information before you come to Japan.

And certainly don't expect any when you get here. Apparently, there is nothing we need to know here. Hottopepperpappipoppipeppipeppipappa etc.
some14some at 11:00 PM JST - 3rd July

We are returning to Japan at the end of this month - would love to know what the real situation is there.

just 50-60 cases per day here in Japan and total count is little over 1500 ...this is according to BS-NHK public broadcaster.
metalmukai at 11:30 PM JST - 3rd July

About one million people have been infected in the United States.
smithinjapan at 11:31 PM JST - 3rd July

That's what happens when you abuse medicine. Now we all suffer for the weak who rush out to by Tamiflu when there was ZERO need for it. I know heaps of Japanese who rush to get flu shots every year, still catch the flu, then rush to get Tamiflu, saying it 'helps with the symptoms'. Well, at least THOSE people will be catching the flu with their weak immune systems.

Welcome the easily-predictable super-viruses; it's a shame nobody here or elsewhere decided to heed the warnings. Now I wonder what they're going to rush to get next.
RMGTTF at 12:06 AM JST - 4th July

You won't be getting acurate numbers here. They don't even check confirmed cases of Influenza A for N1H1 unless it's a batch of at least 3 sick people. Considering that sick people are sent home inmediatly the no much way to get the batch but a nice way to keep the statistic artificially and stupdily low.
Fadamor at 12:43 AM JST - 4th July

WHO (http://www.who.int) says the lastest number (as of July 3) for Japan is 1446 with 180 new cases since the last update (only a day or two).

WHO is also reporting 50 new H1N1 deaths since the last update: 43 in the US, 3 in Mexico, 2 in Chile and 2 in Australia.

Worldwide, we're just shy of 90,000 total confirmed cases and 382 deaths... and we haven't reached "flu season" in the Northern hemisphere, yet.
LIBERTAS at 01:20 AM JST - 4th July

They've just figured out the new H1N1 strain of influenza A is resistant to Tamiflu? Vaccines are not cures, they're meant to be taken long in advance!
cadmium at 01:46 AM JST - 4th July

Time for GSK-Biota developed Relenza. But if it's a Rumsfeld-Tamiflu conspiracy then it has no chance of taking over.