Health officials wary of resistant flu strain
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The flu season has barely started and already it has Backus clinicians on alert.
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention reports the strains of flu being seen in the United States this year are resistant to the most common anti-viral treatment, Tamiflu.
"I'm not really surprised," said Robin Heard, clinical coordinator of epidemiology at Backus Hospital. "Viruses do that. They mutate ever so slightly."
Resistance to Tamiflu was first seen last flu season when about 11 percent of the common flu strain circulating in the U.S., H1N1, were resistant. So far this flu season 100 percent of the H1N1 strain have proved resistant to Tamiflu.
Heard said it is the nature of viruses to mutate and they very often become resistant. It is the reason why creating a vaccine for the fu is so difficult year after year, she said.
The CDC has issued new guidelines urging doctors to test suspected flu cases to see if they are influenza A or influenza B, and if they are A, whether they are H1 or H3 viruses.
While the resistant strain is the most common circulating in the U.S. right now, the flu season has not truly started. The CDC is reporting 1,173 confirmed flu cases across the nation.
Heard said there were some confirmed flu cases in the region in early December, but it has been quiet since. It is very possible Tamiflu could be effective against the strain of virus that becomes prevalent.
But many flu sufferers would not even be prescribed Tamiflu, Heard said. The drug is only effective if given within 48 hours of the onset of the flu and it is generally reserved for those at high risk, such as the elderly or others with compromised immune systems.
For the average person, taking simple precautions should prevent the flu in the first place, she said. Recommendations include:
- Washing hands regularly
- Covering your cough
- Avoiding crowds
- Staying home when you are sick
- Get enough sleep
- Eat properly
It's also not too late to get a flu shot.
If it is the H1N1 strain there are other drugs, such as Relenza and Flumadine, which are effective against the H1N1 strain, according to the CDC. Relenza, however, cannot be used with patients who have some lung diseases or in children under 7-years-old.
Heard said a real concern with the H1N1 strain becoming resistant to Tamiflu is what it means for the potential of fighting a viral pandemic. The U.S. and many other countries have been stockpiling Tamiflu and other anti-virals in case of a pandemic or bio-terrorism, she said. Two cases of bird flu in Vietnam have been reported to be resistant to Tamiflu.
Flu causes about 36,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Most deaths are among the elderly, very young or those with medical conditions such as asthma or heart disease. Pneumonia resulting from flu is usually the fatal complication.
Flu symptoms include fever, headache, tiredness, dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and body aches.