SINGAPORE, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Ministry of Health on Friday
confirmed that the country has found its first Tamiflu-resistant A/H1N1 case.
A Health Ministry spokesperson said that the isolated case involved a
patient who fell sick towards the end of May and was admitted to hospital for
isolation and treatment.
The patient was infected by a Tamiflu-susceptible strain of the virus and
treated with Tamiflu. The resistant strain emerged during treatment and was
detected through laboratory testing but by then the patient had already improved
clinically.
"Patients can recover from their illness even if they are infected with a
Tamiflu-resistant influenza strain because the immune system plays an important
part in clearing the body of the virus," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson did not reveal the age and gender of the patient.
"So far, we have not detected any other cases of antiviral resistance. We
will continue to conduct surveillance for antiviral resistance," the
spokesperson said.
Singapore reported its first confirmed case of flu A/H1N1 on May 27. The
country's first A/H1N1 related death case was reportedon July 18. The country
has reported 11 A/H1N1 related death cases so far.
Special Report:
World Tackles A/H1N1
Flu
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