Matthew Borghese - AHN Editor
Hong Kong, China (AHN) - A teenage girl traveling to Hong Kong from San Francisco, California has been quarantined with the swine flu. However, health officials in Hong Kong now say the girl has a strain of the H1N1 virus which is resistant to oseltamivir (Tamiflu).
The Hong Kong Department of Health's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch (PHLSB) announced the findings on Friday, saying they will work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to solve how and why the virus is mutating.
"This is the first time Tamiflu resistance in [human swine influenza (HSI)] virus found in Hong Kong," a health department spokesman explained. "Tests showed that this strain is sensitive to zanamivir (Relenza)."
"This is the only Tamiflu-resistant strain so far among some 200 HSI samples tested in Hong Kong. Further tests are underway," the spokesman added. "We will closely liaise with WHO and overseas health authorities and monitor the global development of antiviral resistant HSI virus."
The 16-year-old girl was flagged by health officials at the Port Health Office at the Hong Kong International Airport when she arrived on June 11. She has been treated in isolation at the Queen Mary Hospital ever since.
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