New, common strain of flu does not respond to Tamiflu

Although most commonly prescribed antibiotics are useless against the flu, the antiviral drug Tamiflu has been very effective. Overuse of the other antibiotics has caused a huge health problem, leading to the rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of disease like MRSA and antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis.

For once, the story about a medicine resistant strain of disease is not about the overuse of antibiotics. The CDC reported last week that the new flu strain H1N1 has apparently spontaneously developed the ability to shrug off Tamiflu. Researchers are not sure where the strain developed, and they speculate that it could even have arisen in a country like Norway, where antivirals like Tamiflu are not in use.

This is an interesting story for several reasons. For one thing, it highlights the fragility of our global medical care system. One little spontaneous genetic quirk, and suddenly what was historically the most effective drug is rendered useless. Fortunately in this case, although H1N1 is very prevalent this flu season, it has not proved to be unusually strong or lethal.

The CDC is recommending that when treating patients, doctors first determine whether the patient is suffering from influenza A or influenza B. If the patient has influenza A, doctors are then urged to test whether it is an H1 or H3 virus.

This is all well and good, but most medical clinics - overburdened as our health care system is - simply lack the time and equipment to perform all those tests in a timely fashion. Tamiflu is only effective if taken within 48 hours, and most doctors are hoping for the best and simply prescribing Tamiflu. (Who can blame them?)

Influenza A is the most serious type of flu. Influenza A infections tend to spread far more quickly, and to cause more serious symptoms than its lesser cousin, Influenza B. A variation of Influenza A virus H1N1 was responsible for the infamous 1918 Spanish flu pandemic which killed between 50 and 100 million people worldwide during World War I.

Fortunately, the current flu season has proved to be relatively mild, particularly compared to the last flu season (2007 - 2008) when more deaths and hospitalizations occurred than in the previous three years. This happened in part because the agency responsible for cooking up the flu vaccine recipe used a prediction which proved to be inaccurate. Not their fault - any prediction is by definition not a guarantee - and some studies have shown that the flu vaccine can provide cross-protection against flu strains which are not directly targeted by the vaccine.

The best protection against H1N1, or any other form of flu, is to get a flu shot. You know what they say about an ounce of prevention! It is never too late to get a flu shot, and most outlets continue to serve flu shots throughout the flu season, which traditionally peaks in February. A flu shot carries a very low risk of side effects, most of which are themselves very mild. And a flu shot is cheap - particularly compared to the lost time and health risks of getting the actual flu.