Health News
Australian contracts antiviral-resistant swine flu
Sep 11, 2009, 11:13 GMT
Sydney - A Perth man with a pre-existing medical condition has become the first Australian to be diagnosed with a strain of swine flu that is resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu, health authorities said Friday.
The 38-year-old initially responded to the drug but went on to develop a resistant strain of the virus.
There have been only 13 cases of Tamiflu-resistant infections reported worldwide.
Western Australia chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri described it as a rare and isolated case that did not pose an extra risk to the public.
'There is no evidence that the virus has spread to other people,' he said. 'None of the patient's family or hospital staff caring for him has contracted the virus, and he has not been in contact with the wider community.'
Weeramanthri said the patient had been given an alternative antiviral and was no longer infectious.
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