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Two bird flu patients resistant to antiviral drug

Infection Control Monitor, December 23, 2005

According to the New York Times, two patients who died from bird flu in Vietnam had developed a resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

This is the third case of Tamiflu resistance out of the 138 known cases of avian influenza virus, according to the World Health Organization. All three Tamiflu-resistant cases occurred in Vietnam.

The findings, which The New England Journal of Medicine reported, show that the virus can rapidly mutate in certain patients to become resistant. Health officials might need to give Tamiflu in larger amounts and for longer than currently recommended for human influenza viruses, the report said. It also said that Tamiflu might need to be used in combination with other drugs in certain cases.

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