Swine Flu Mutations Spread as Death Toll Leaps

[Felix]

Hurray, a swine Flu thread.

Anyway, swine flu virus mutations are spreading in Europe, French health officials said Friday as the World Health Organisation reported a leap in deaths from the disease by more than 1,000 in a week.

Two patients who were infected by a mutation that was also recently detected in Norway have died in France, the government's Health Surveillance Institute (InVS) said in a statement.

"This mutation could increase the ability of the virus to affect the respiratory tracts and, in particular, the lung tissue," said a statement from "For one of these patients, this mutation was accompanied by another mutation known to confer resistance to oseltamivir," it added, referring to the main drug being used to treat swine flu, under the brand name Tamiflu.

The case was the first drug-resistant strain found in France among the 1,200 strains experts have analysed here, the InVS said, adding that "the effectiveness of vaccines currently available is not being questioned."

The two patients were not related and had been hospitalised in two different cities in France, it said.

The WHO said Friday the death toll had reached at least 7,826 worldwide since the A(H1N1) flu virus was first uncovered in April.

The number of deaths reported to the UN health agency showed the biggest rise in the Americas, where 5,360 deaths have now been recorded compared to 4,806 a week ago.

But Europe also posted a substantial increase percentage-wise with at least 650 fatalities now reported, representing a surge of 300 deaths or 85 percent from data posted a week ago.

The WHO said Thursday it was investigating reports of mutations in the virus, after half a dozen countries recorded such cases.

"The question is whether these mutations again suggest that there is a fundamental change going on in viruses out there -- whether there's a turn for the worse in terms of severity," said Keiji Fukuda, WHO's special adviser on pandemic influenza.

"The answer right now is that we are not sure," he added following reports from China, Japan, Norway, Ukraine and the United States.

He noted, however, that mutations are common in influenza viruses, and "if every mutation is reported out there it would be like reporting changes in the weather."

"What we're trying to do when we see reports of mutations is to identify if these mutations are leading to any kinds of changes in the clinical picture -- do they cause more severe or less severe disease?

"Also we're trying to see if these viruses are increasing out there as that would suggest a change in epidemiology," he added.

China said earlier Thursday that it had discovered eight people with mutated versions of swine flu while Norway reported last week that it had detected one case.

Fukuda also said that the UN health agency was looking into Tamiflu-resistant cases reported in Britain and the United States but noted they concerned people who are already undergoing treatment for other diseases or who have underlying health issues.

The health agency was therefore maintaining its assessment that Tamiflu, produced by Swiss drugmaker Roche, remained "effective" as a treatment for swine flu, but that "we do have to be vigilant in these very susceptible people."

Nobody has even mentioned Zombies yet.

Thanking BT yahoo for most of the information.

[Yuuto Ishii]

If that's treu, then how come that i haven't heard of it on the news?

[Slash]

I already have gotten my vaccine =p
So tll;dr

[Felix]

@Tapion: Because the Internet is faster than TV. But really, I don't know.

@Slash: Would the vaccine work on mutations though?

[Yuuto Ishii]

For all i know the vaccines didn't really help, Belgium wasn't been hit by the epidemic tho.

[Slash]

(11-27-2009 06:51 PM)Felix Wrote:  @Tapion: Because the Internet is faster than TV. But really, I don't know.

@Slash: Would the vaccine work on mutations though?

I live in the US anyway xD
So I don't really have to care that much about what happens overseas...=\

[Felix]

You mean you don't care what happens to me That's what you're trying to say isn't it

[Slash]

(11-27-2009 07:02 PM)Felix Wrote:  You mean you don't care what happens to me That's what you're trying to say isn't it

Nope.
We all know it doesn't affect people with first names that begin with a "F"

[iwrestledabearonce]

tl;dr

Got my flu shot, I'm good ;]

[Snitch]

In the title of this thread, I read 'Toll' as 'Troll', and I was all, "Crap, now we have swine flu and we have porn spams in the towns?"

tbh, I don't care.

[Eros Thanatos]

Mutations? . . . X-men?

[Akira]

If I die of Swine Flu then meh, s*** happens.

...

As you can probably tell, I am not expecting to die of Swine Flu.

[Felix]

(11-27-2009 07:51 PM)Dark Phoenix Wrote:  Mutations? . . . X-men?

Yep, that's what's going to happen.

[Eros Thanatos]

(11-27-2009 08:10 PM)Felix Wrote:  

(11-27-2009 07:51 PM)Dark Phoenix Wrote:  Mutations? . . . X-men?

Yep, that's what's going to happen.

GUISE, DIBS ON NIGHTCRAWLER.

[Willieh]

Swine Flu isn't that bad guys. My dad lived with his girlfriend who had it for like 2 weeks and didn't catch it. I didn't catch it and I was in the car with her. My grandmother didn't catch it and she's in the car with my dad everyday. Her kids didn't catch it, they're with her every weekend.

It's really only bad if your REALLY old or a baby.

[.arx]

So in other words,

Everyone's gonna get swine flu, get mutated into some guy with lung tissue sticking out of the body, and then sooner or later explode amiright?

[Akira]

(11-27-2009 08:18 PM)*.Willieh.* Wrote:  Swine Flu isn't that bad guys. My dad lived with his girlfriend who had it for like 2 weeks and didn't catch it. I didn't catch it and I was in the car with her. My grandmother didn't catch it and she's in the car with my dad everyday. Her kids didn't catch it, they're with her every weekend.

It's really only bad if your REALLY old or a baby.

(11-27-2009 08:19 PM).arx Wrote:  So in other words,

Everyone's gonna get swine flu, get mutated into some guy with lung tissue sticking out of the body, and then sooner or later explode amiright?

WOW, SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO READ!

[.arx]

(11-27-2009 08:23 PM)Akira Wrote:  

(11-27-2009 08:18 PM)*.Willieh.* Wrote:  Swine Flu isn't that bad guys. My dad lived with his girlfriend who had it for like 2 weeks and didn't catch it. I didn't catch it and I was in the car with her. My grandmother didn't catch it and she's in the car with my dad everyday. Her kids didn't catch it, they're with her every weekend.

It's really only bad if your REALLY old or a baby.

(11-27-2009 08:19 PM).arx Wrote:  So in other words,

Everyone's gonna get swine flu, get mutated into some guy with lung tissue sticking out of the body, and then sooner or later explode amiright?

WOW, SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO READ!

Yah. im SOOOOO Smart.

[Ăɍȼẗîȼ]

Woah. So fast? I thought it would be another few years before something like this happens.

[Willieh]

(11-27-2009 08:23 PM)Akira Wrote:  

(11-27-2009 08:18 PM)*.Willieh.* Wrote:  Swine Flu isn't that bad guys. My dad lived with his girlfriend who had it for like 2 weeks and didn't catch it. I didn't catch it and I was in the car with her. My grandmother didn't catch it and she's in the car with my dad everyday. Her kids didn't catch it, they're with her every weekend.

It's really only bad if your REALLY old or a baby.

(11-27-2009 08:19 PM).arx Wrote:  So in other words,

Everyone's gonna get swine flu, get mutated into some guy with lung tissue sticking out of the body, and then sooner or later explode amiright?

WOW, SOMEBODY KNOWS HOW TO READ!

No need to read. I can already decide that it's another dooms-day theory revolving around Swine-flu.

If I die from it, I'll feel like an ass I guess.