Thursday, December 3, 2009

British officials said they have found 24 swine flu viruses with a mutation associated with Tamiflu resistance

Britain: Swine flu cases fall by more than half, WHO says it's too soon to say it's peaked

LONDON — British officials say swine flu cases in England fell by more than half last week, with about 22,000 new cases.

The week before, the government guessed there were 46,000 new infections, though the numbers have a big margin of error. The number of cases has been falling for weeks, but World Health Organization officials say it's too soon to say whether this wave of swine flu has peaked.

In a statement Thursday, British officials said they have found 24 swine flu viruses with a mutation associated with Tamiflu resistance. Contrary to WHO guidance, Britain gives out Tamiflu liberally, and does not require a doctor's advice to get the antiviral. Critics warn that could speed up the development of resistant viruses.

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