Several strains of influenza A H1N1 that are more resistant to a primary flu drug have emerged in the United States, scientists with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported.
The strains, which contain mutations called I223V and S247N, have been detected in countries across five continents, including the United States. “These mutated viruses retained sensitivity to other anti-influenza medications, including a newer one, baloxavir marboxil. There are no immediate implications to change decisions for clinical care,” a CDC spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email.
The CDC noted that some other strains were even more resistant to Tamiflu, or oseltamivir. One with a mutation called H275Y, for instance, reduced the effect of Tamiflu by up to 1,000 times in laboratory testing. Eleven samples carrying I223V, S247N, or both were collected from the United States, along with two H275Y samples, by the researchers who carried out the new study.
Other countries from which samples showed the mutations included Bangladesh, Niger, and Abu Dhabi. The scientists said that analysis of the viruses with mutations showed they’ve been circulating globally since May 2023 and were only detected in 0.67 percent of samples collected from various countries.
“However, those data may not necessarily represent the actual proportion of what was in circulation because of differences in surveillance and sequencing strategies in each country,” Dr. Mira Patel, one o.