First Tamiflu-resistant case of swine flu emerges

24 Nov 09

The newly-emerged strain, thought to be the first Tamiflu-resistant strain capable of being passed between patients, has infected a small number of patients at the University Hospital Wales, in Cardiff, who all had serious underlying health conditions.

Professor Nigel Dimmock, professor of virology at the University of Warwick, said: ‘This is just the beginning. You have got a lot of viruses and if you use Tamiflu at the level they are using it, you will get resistance.'

But he added: ‘The vaccine is coming on, so Tamiflu is a stop-gap. There's no need to panic.’