U.S. Flu Shows Resistance to Flu Drug

[steaner]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A common strain of influenza circulating in the United States this winter is resistant to Tamiflu, the most popular drug used to treat it, federal health officials said on Friday.
The situation poses little danger, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, because Tamiflu is only used in a minority of cases.
Forty nine out of 50 samples tested resist the drug, although they can still be treated with other flu medications, the CDC said in a special advisory to doctors.
"It is still very early in the season. There is very little influenza out there," CDC Director Dr. Julie Gerberding told reporters in a telephone briefing.
"This is probably actually not going to affect very many people because we don't use a lot of antiviral drugs in our country," Gerberding said. "Most people with influenza don't get any treatment."