Here are a few threads from around the world on what’s happening with the H1N1 swine-flu pandemic. Four patients in the past six weeks had Tamiflu-resistant flu at Duke University Hospital. In at least two of the cases, patients contracted the resistant bug before they had been treated with Tamiflu, a Duke infection-control doctor told the Health Blog. All of the patients were on a cancer ward, and had suppressed immune systems. Norway reported finding a mutated strain of H1N1 in three patients, two of whom had died from the disease. The mutation might make the more likely to move deep into the airways and cause more serious disease, but the mutation is unlikely to alter the effectiveness of drugs or vaccines. A CDC official said that the mutation has been seen in some cases elsewhere in the world, and in some cases has been associated with more mild disease. In the U.S., key measures of the pandemic’s intensity

declined in the week that ended on Nov. 14, the CDC said . For the third straight week, fewer people went to the doctor to be treated for influenza-like illness. Influenza hospitalization rates and the proportion of deaths attributed to flu and pneumonia also declined. Still, rates are far higher than they would normally be at this time of year. And officials said rates could rise again after the holidays, the time of year when seasonal flu usually kicks in. China’s Ministry of Health said local officials who conceal cases of H1N1 could be subject to punishment, the WSJ reports . The statement came after a doctor — known for speaking out in 2003 against official reports that understated the extent of the SARS epidemic — questioned the number of H1N1 deaths reported so far in China. Image of H1N1 by C. Goldsmith via CDC

Originally posted here: 
Swine-Flu Update: Resistance, Mutations, Declines and China