Swine flu infections in which the virus mutated to a form that’s more severe or less sensitive to drug treatment are being investigated by European and U.S. public health officials.
Source: marketwatch.com
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said Friday that it has found a mutated version of the H1N1 virus in three patients in Norway, two of whom died. The institute suggested this is normal and “most of these mutations will probably have little or no importance.” Still, the mutation could also make the virus more prone to deeper infection of the airways and cause more severe problems. However, for now, “There is no indication that this change in the virus is of any importance for the effect of the vaccine or the effect of antiviral treatment,” the institute said in a statement posted on its Web site.
Links to other sites carrying the story:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112001820.html
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ab0royU2paW4
