Mutation found in H1N1 virus

Agence France-Presse, 21 November 2009

THE World Health Organisation said Friday that a mutation had been found in samples of the swine flu virus taken following the first two deaths from the pandemic in Norway.

However, it stressed that the mutation did not appear to cause a more contagious or more dangerous form of A(H1N1) influenza and that some similar cases observed elsewhere had been mild.

‘The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has informed WHO of a mutation detected in three H1N1 viruses,’ the WHO said in a briefing note.

WHO spokesman Gregory Haertl told AFP that the global health watchdog did not believe ‘that this has any significant impact for the time being’. However, the agency revealed that a similar mutation had been observed in Brazil, China, Japan, Mexico, Ukraine, and the United States, as early as April.

‘The mutations appear to occur sporadically and spontaneously. To date, no links between the small number of patients infected with the mutated virus have been found and the mutation does not appear to spread,’ the statement said Some of those cases also produced mild symptoms, Mr Haertl noted.

The WHO also underlined that there was no evidence of more infections or more deaths as a result, while the antiviral drugs used to treat severe flu, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza), were still effective on the mutated virus. — AFP

Republished from AFP