News & Perspective

Antiviral-resistant H1N1 virus in Australia didn't spread farAn oseltamivir-resistant 2009 H1N1 virus that spread in one Australian community in 2011 apparently did not escape to a nearby large city, according to a report published in Eurosurveillance yesterday. Researchers previously reported the community spread of a resistant 2009 H1N1 virus in the Newcastle, Australia, area from June through August of 2011, the report notes.

Jun 11, 2011 (CIDRAP News) – Some 2009 H1N1 influenza virus strains in Singapore and Australia have been showing "mildly reduced" sensitivity to both of the main flu drugs, which is not a clinical problem now but could become one if the viruses pick up further mutations, according to a report in Eurosurveillance.

(CIDRAP News) – Laboratory experts from Australia and Singapore have identified changes in the 2009 H1N1 flu virus that they say don't seem to make the vaccine less effective but bear watching.

Researchers first identified the genetic variants in April 2010 in Singapore, where they became more common, spreading to New Zealand and Australia during their winter flu seasons.

(CIDRAP News) – The World Health Organization (WHO) today said pandemic and seasonal flu activity across the globe is low, but said activity is increasing in some parts of the Southern Hemisphere, with significant action still occurring in certain tropical areas, such as India.