Indonesia Health Minister Suspected Bird Flu Immune Drug

Hat-tip FluTrackers

Friday, January 20, 2012
Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih suspect in Indonesia has occurred the possibility of resistance (drug resistance) to the drug oseltamivir.

The hypothesis was made based on the presence of some positive victims of bird flu in Indonesia are still died despite oseltamivir have been given early.

"I suspect that the oseltamivir resistance has occurred in Indonesia. That is why the death rate of bird flu patients here reaches more than 80% when oseltamivir was given, " said Minister of Health at a press conference after the ministerial coordination meeting to discuss bird flu on Friday (20 / 1), in Jakarta.

He said, there may exist a specific gene in the H5N1 virus in Indonesia that caused the H5N1 virus in Indonesia is more virulent than the H5N1 virus that is in another country.

"Honestly, I was curious as a former researcher with the possibility of the existence of this gene," he said.

If there is resistance to oseltamivir, Indonesia no longer has a drug to counteract the spread of the H5N1 virus. Because, oseltamivir is the only drug that can kill the flu virus, although with certain prerequisites and conditions.

In the market, oseltamivir sold under the brand Tamiflu.