'Tamiflu resistance is very normal'

'I am not surprised by this information and affirmed that this is possible' - said Pham Ngoc Dinh, deputy director of the Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology - talking about a 14-year-old girl from Vietnam. Tamiflu resistance in treating bird flu.

This patient was prescribed Tamiflu in February 2005 for prevention. Although not in direct contact with infected birds, at the time the girl was taking care of her 21-year-old brother suspected of being infected with bird flu.

The virus was isolated in the girl's body just like the virus in her brother. The girl recovered but the case showed that she was probably infected by the virus, not directly from the bird.

Tamiflu medicine sold in Phnom Penh

Recently, scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison discovered that many viruses of the H5N1 virus mixture in specimens of the girl developed genetic mutations that neutralized Tamiflu. And all of the H5N1 virus mixture from the girl's specimen is also partially resistant to this drug.

According to Dr. Dinh, earlier in Vietnam, there were signs of H5N1 virus isolated and resistant to Tamiflu. Vietnam has sent patients with H5N1 patient samples to Hong Kong and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to exchange information among countries because Vietnam is also part of a standardized health surveillance system for influenza. world.

And samples of Tamiflu drug resistance as reported may be the specimens sent by Vietnamese patients.

Dr. Dinh emphasized: 'I would like to confirm once again that the case of Tamiflu resistance is very normal, and that it does not mean that the drug against the H5N1 Tamiflu virus is useless but on the contrary it is a prophylactic and preventive medicine. Best against the current H5N1 virus. The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is testing the H5N1 virus resistant to Tamiflu in the southern region. '

As for Dr. Le Quynh Mai, head of the virus department, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said: 'This could be a specimen of a patient in Thai Binh who had been hospitalized for H5N1 flu and used Tamiflu for treatment. .

If this is the case, the patient is still living healthy and working normally. Before this, we learned more about the problems of the H5N1 virus resistance to adjust treatment regimens more effectively.

This is just a single case that has not yet said anything about Tamiflu resistance, nor can it confirm what level of drug resistance is. Therefore, the use of Tamiflu is still the most effective. '

SWEDEN

* Vietnam is at risk of the third season

Vietnam is at the threshold of the bird flu season, the third consecutive season.Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong emphasized at the conference on preliminary prevention of avian influenza in the southern provinces, taking place in Ho Chi Minh City on October 15.

He also urged localities to concentrate on prevention and control of avian influenza.

According to Mr. Bui Ba Bong, with the phenomenon of bird flu spreading worldwide, international organizations have also warned of the possibility of human pandemic flu, so if the epidemic prevention activities effective bird flu, Vietnam - one of the high-risk countries - will contribute to preventing pandemic on humans.

According to him, vaccination for poultry from now until the end of March 2007 will be carried out continuously.All legal or illegal poultry flocks must be vaccinated to limit the source of infection.

Also at the conference, Deputy Minister Bui Ba Bong announced the national disinfection program started on October 15 and will last for two months.

According to the report at the conference, as of the beginning of October 2005, there were about 32 provinces and cities nationwide implementing vaccination for poultry, with a total of 48 million birds vaccinated.

LIGHTHOUSE