Scientists say they have found Tamiflu-resistant strain of H5N1 bird flu

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.forbes.com/business/feeds/afx/2005/10/14/afx2278093.html

PARIS (AFX) - Researchers have identified a mutated form of H5N1 bird flu that is resistant to Tamiflu, the drug being stockpiled around the world to counter a feared influenza pandemic, a study released says.

The strain was found in a case in Vietnam involving a 14-year-old girl who may have caught the flu from her brother rather than directly from infected birds, it said.

Sequencing of the virus showed that it had a mutation that made it resistant to oseltamivir, the lab name for Tamiflu.

However, tests on lab animals showed that the resistant virus is sensitive to another drug called zanamivir, commercialised as Relenza, the research said.


Get your Tamiflu here:

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ned=tus&q=buy+tamiflu&btnmeta%3Dsearch%3Dsearch=Search+the+Web

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I saw that yesterday. It was bound to happen. Viruses are tricky that way

Did you see they have resurrected the 1918 strain of killer flu to study it for vaccine purposes? Also could be used asa weapon, though.

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/1016-22.htm

[rooboy]

2. People are getting WAY too excited about Tamiflu.

My wife was prescribed it by her doctor to treat a nasty case of flu about 3 months ago. It didn't help AT ALL. Tamiflu is only effective if it is taken at the very onset of symptoms - if you have a developed case of influenza it doesn't save you.

[jean]

11. I've read that Tamiflu is effective 'in the lab' and not so much

in real life - people having the flu.

[Crayson]

12. Vaccine

1)
As it is with every Vaccine...

A vaccine is nothing else than a very mild (and safe) form of the disease itself. Like this your anti immune system learns of the disease and how to counter it.

If you take a vaccine you usually feel a bit nauseous and that's because you are in fact mildly sick.

Now if you have a full grown flu already and then take the vaccine you have in fact TWO FLUS at once and your anti immune system has to battle both!


2)
Tamiflu probably won't help much against a mutated H5N1 (thats the bird flu virus). Mutated meaning, a bird flu that spreads from human to human.

3)
I will not stockpile Tamiflu.
If I do stockpile anything then that will be bottled water and canned food so you don't have to go outside for some time, especially not to the shopping mall with hundreds other people.

[senaca]

21. Can pnemonia shots help?

If the leading cause of flu death is the secondary pnemonia would that shot help if H5N1 does transmit from human to human? I know very little about virology or bacterial infections, so this may be a really stupid question.

It does look like bird flu might reach our shores even though it might not mutate from human to human. How does that play out as far as our poultry industry or our economy goes?

[annabanana]

3. "caught the flu from her brother"

"may have caught the flu from her brother rather than directly from infected birds, it said."

Am I reading this wrong, or is this the infamous "jump" that has been feared?

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. Ruh-roh!

[NNN0LHI]

7. Key word is "may". I think they word it funny like that on purpose?

It "may" not have either. I have heard some "experts" claim it has and other "experts" say it hasn't. No one has presented any evidence that it did yet that I am aware of.

Don

[meow mix]

19. there are well documented Human-Human transmissions

but no Sustained Transmission.
it is still in the baby-steps mode.. and the people who post jokes over this are pretty dumb and careless.

[seabeyond]

4. i've been in the spiritual world for a handful of years

i dont know a whole lot, but there is a strong argument for the mass loss of humans on this planet. 2012 maya calander and other stuff. who is to know.

we will deal with it,.... or not

[bahrbearian]

6. What is the last year on the Maya calander ?

[seabeyond]

8. 2012 i believe

but it has been said, wink, that the energies have escalated starting with 9/11

certainly has been an interesting 4/5 years

[Loonman]

9. So?

Mass natural die-offs for any number of animals(and humans) have been occuring since time out of mind. We're not so special.

[seabeyond]

16. absolutely right, i didnt say otherwise. so? n/t

[NNN0LHI]

10. Preventable Diseases Kill 11 Million Children Under 5 Years Old Each Year

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=3869

NEW YORK, Jul (IPS) - Nearly 11 million children do not live to see their fifth birthday each year due to a lethal combination of malnutrition and mostly preventable diseases, according to a new article in the Lancet journal -- a catastrophe that experts say is needless.

"Every single day -- 365 days a year -- an attack against children occurs that is 10 times greater than the death toll from the World Trade Center," said Jean-Pierre Habicht, a professor of epidemiology and nutritional sciences at the U.S.-based Cornell University.

"We know how to prevent these deaths -- we have the biological knowledge and tools to stop this public health travesty -- but we're not yet doing it," said Habicht, one of the child health researchers publishing a five-article "call to action" in the Lancet.

Most of the deaths are concentrated in a handful of countries. According to the Lancet, just six countries account for half of worldwide deaths of children younger than five, and 42 countries for 90 percent of deaths.

That strikes me as massive.

[Silverhair]

15. On a global scale, that isn't massive.

"Mass die-offs" in the context, means a number of deaths such that the total human population of the globe would be greatly reduced.

So in the context, "Mass die-off" means about 3 or 4 billion deaths in a short period.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. If this is a human to human transmission, can they now start to

make a vaccine?

[annabanana]

17. I should think so..

This would mean that there is a "there, there".

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

14. I'm sure Rumsfeld has made a "killing" on Tamiflu by now so that

this won't affect him in the least........

Rumsfeld was chairman of the board (1997-2001) of Gilead Sciences which came up with the Tamiflu vaccine.

[gkhouston]

18. This is not new...

WHO has known about this since May. Why is it making the news now?

[spinbaby]

20. It's making news now because...

...they don't want the proles to riot when they can't get Tamaflu.

[gkhouston]

22. considering that Tamiflu isn't working so well

against some strains of H5N1 (and that has also been known for months), I won't be waving any pitchforks.

[Mojorabbit]

23. This is a bit misleading

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8160&feedId=online-news_rss20
The resistant strain was found in a 14-year-old girl in Vietnam. She had been put on one Tamiflu capsule a day in February, to protect her while she was caring for her 21-year-old brother who had H5N1 bird flu. This dose - half the normal therapeutic level - is commonly used as a preventative measure for people exposed to the virus.

But after three days she fell ill. Her dose was doubled to normal treatment levels – and it worked. Doctors failed to isolate flu virus from the girl after she went on the full dose and she eventually recovered.
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This makes sense
As shown in studies in mice the typical two a day for five day dose resulted in 50% of deaths while those on eight days of therapy had I think a 20% death rate with this type of flu.