Resistance: Swine flu treatment Tamiflu fails to fight off new strain. Picture: Tony Hisgett
The country’s leading health authority has confirmed that a handful of patients at a Welsh hospital have a strain of swine flu resistant to the antiviral drug Tamiflu.
National Health Insurance (NHS) says five patients with severe health conditions at the University Hospital of Wales have been infected with the strain.
It appears three of the five patients caught the H1N1virus in the Cardiff hospital and it is believed to be the first confirmed case of a person-to-person transmission of a strain resistant to Tamiflu.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) says the risk to the general healthy population is low as the patients all have serious health problems and suppressed immune systems.
The agency also says there is no evidence that the new strain is more prevalent than any other flu type.
NHS figures released today show that there has been a fall in the number of new swine flu cases in the past week.
There was an estimated 22,000 new cases of the virus in England last week, down from 46,000 the week before.
Health officials are urging anyone showing signs or considered to be at risk of catching the virus to contact their local GP.
Survival Tip: Catch it, Bin it, Kill it!
Picture of Tamiflu from Flickr
