Merck now targeting men with Gardasil, boys weren't enough

UPDATE: 10/17/09
The Risks and Benefits of HPV Vaccination
What your doctor or other health care provider is required to tell you by law, before you get a jab, so you can engage in informed consent.

UPDATE: 10/16/09
We have been covering this issue on NHN since 2008, and of course we are providing the information to alert you to the issues. Today The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the vaccine for use in males ages 9 to 26, Merck said in a statement.
Read an update from Bloomberg News

We do not believe this is a necessary vaccine for any one.
------------------------------
Original post date: 11/13/08

We can't encourage you enough to be very concerned about this vaccine and the mass marketing campaign associated with its promotion and use.

Do the research and get the facts before you get the jab.

Find other Gardasil and vaccine related articles via our search window.

Merck vaccine protects men from wart virus, too
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A vaccine designed to protect women and girls from cervical cancer caused by a wart virus may protect men, too, maker Merck and Co reported on Thursday.

The Gardasil vaccine was 90 percent effective in preventing lesions, mostly sexually transmitted warts, caused by the virus in men, Anna Giuliano of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, and colleagues found.

It was about 45 percent effective in preventing infection with the four strains of HPV that it targets.

"We see 90.4 percent efficacy is reducing external genital lesions in males related to these four types of HPV -- 6, 11, 16, 18," Giuliano said in a telephone interview.

"These are the only data evaluating efficacy of any HPV vaccine in preventing disease in males, and were presented for the first time this week at the European Research Organization on Genital Infection and Neoplasia International Multidisciplinary Conference," Merck said in a statement.

The human papilloma virus, or HPV, is the most common sexually transmitted disease in the world. About 20 million Americans currently are infected with HPV, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is the main cause of cervical cancer, which kills 3,870 women a year in the United States and 300,000 globally.

It can also cause other types of cancer, including anal and penis cancer as well as mouth and neck cancer. The CDC estimates that HPV caused 25,000 cases of cancer a year in the United States between 1998 and 2003.

Gardasil and its rival, GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix, are only approved for use in girls and women, but the companies are seeking new markets and some experts say it should be used in boys and men, to protect them and their future sexual partners.

Merck said it remains on track to submit a U.S. application by the end of the year for the use of Gardasil in males ages 9 to 26.

Giuliano's team tested 4,065 young men ages 16 to 26, giving them either vaccine or placebo, and then checking them every six months. Evidence suggests the vaccine has to be given before a person is ever infected with HPV to be effective.

While it protected fewer than half the cases of HPV infection as detected in the blood, the vaccine appeared to prevent the development of genital warts and a precancerous

condition called penile/perineal/perianal intraepithelial neoplasia or PIN.

"This opens up some really important questions for further research," Giuliano said. "The cancers in men, which are HPV related are really only now being understood."

It will also be important to study whether vaccinating men protects female sexual partners, she said.

(Editing by Eric Walsh and Maureen Bavdek)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

Scientists Clueless About Vaccination Side Effects

Not only are scientists cluless about vaccine side effects, they seem just as clueless about side effects and risks of pharmaceuticals.

This is something I hear daily from people who contact my health advocacy service looking for help. As a former provider in mainstream medicine I shudder with each new and ghastly report.

As far as the new genetically engineered "swine flu" vaccine, I suggest it is well worth your time to read the following from Dr. Len Horowitz, the dentist and public health expert who first exposed Ebola and AIDS on the vaccines -

America's leading promoter of getting vaccinated for the H1N1 flu, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute for Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), has admitted knowing nil about how human immunity responds to vaccinations, according an interview published by Bloomberg.

I'll be posting another article today related to this concern.

Gardasil death and danger update

October 4: JAB 'AS DEADLY AS THE CANCER'

How safe are vaccines?

UPDATE: 1 October
PR pundits rushed to publicize a claim that anyone who has severe adverse effects from this (or any) vaccine suffered from underlying bacterial infection. It's the common ploy to attack the vaccine victim. One has to ask these folks how they can support such an idea in healthy people who sadly opt for the jabs.

Media Issues Propaganda To Boost HPV Vaccine Sales And Renewed Confidence Following Children's Deaths

UPDATE: September 2009
NHS (UKs FDA) in UK suspends all Gardasil shots following death
Cancer jab alert after girl dies
Health chiefs have launched a "full and urgent" investigation into the death of a 14-year-old girl after she was given a cervical cancer vaccine at school.
Full story
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Post Date, March 2009
PLEASE NOTE: HPV is more often than not a self-limiting infection. If your immune system is in good shape you do not need to worry about HPV.

Also there are very effective natural treatments to resolve HPV infection. Should you wish more information please contact us.

This new report is an important public health concern. If this does not outrage you then I am asking where is your conscience?

CDC Takes Closer Look at Gardasil and Paralysis

Jenny

Other Gardasil articles -

http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/uk-report-on-more-gardasil-danger.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/01/are-you-in-dark-about-adverse-effects.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/this-puzzles-me.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/06/boys-now-targeted-by-big-pharmas.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/gardasil-reports-not-good-death-toll.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/hpv-vaccine-adverse-events-worrisome.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/07/gardasil-reactions-grab-cnns-attention.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/propaganda-tv.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/09/women-take-heed-gardasil-is-broadening.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/unwarranted-and-unwise-mandatory-hpv.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/merck-now-targeting-men-with-gardasil.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/natural-perspective-on-gardasil.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/12/another-gardasil-gaffe.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/spain-serious-about-gardasil-risks.html

Vaccine Side Effects Known, Facts Hidden

This is one more piece in the puzzle that you should take into consideration when considering your options with this untested and unproven vaccine.

Swine flu jab link to killer nerve disease: Leaked letter reveals concern of neurologists over 25 deaths in America

A warning that the new swine flu jab is linked to a deadly nerve disease has been sent by the Government to senior neurologists in a confidential letter.

The letter from the Health Protection Agency, the official body that oversees public health, has been leaked to The Mail on Sunday, leading to demands to know why the information has not been given to the public before the vaccination of millions of people, including children, begins.

It tells the neurologists that they must be alert for an increase in a brain disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), which could be triggered by the vaccine.GBS attacks the lining of the nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

The letter, sent to about 600 neurologists on July 29, is the first sign that there is concern at the highest levels that the vaccine itself could cause serious complications.

It refers to the use of a similar swine flu vaccine in the United States in 1976 when:

More people died from the vaccination than from swine flu.

500 cases of GBS were detected.
The vaccine may have increased the risk of contracting GBS by eight times.
The vaccine was withdrawn after just ten weeks when the link with GBS became clear.
The US Government was forced to pay out millions of dollars to those affected.
Read complete article...

Flu and Mixed Messages

UPDATE: August 14 - Czech Republic takes Baxter to task for not guaranteeing swine flu vaccine safety.

Prague – The U.S. pharmaceutical firm Baxter which manufactures a vaccine against the swine flu in its Czech branch will not ensure the vaccine for the Czech Republic in the case of a pandemic, Baxter media representative Jana Cechova told CTK today. The Czech Republic has relied on the factory in Bohumil, Central Bohemia. In its original pandemic plan, the Czech Republic reckoned with vaccines for 60 percent of the population, while the updated plan involves vaccines for 25 percent and the Tamiflu and Relenza antivirotics for the same number.

“No contract for the delivery of the vaccines A(H1N1) between Baxter and the Czech Republic has been concluded,” Cechova said.

The websit tn.cz writes that the Czech Health Ministry has explained its stopping the talks with Baxter by the firm’s inability to guarantee that the vaccine is safe and who will bear the risks for possible side-effects.

“It is a pity, but, unfortunately, at the moment when we accepted the bids, Baxter was unable to confirm that it will deliver a registered vaccine,” Health Minister Dana Juraskova said.

Over 60 Czechs have caught the swine flu, but no fatality has been registered.”

http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/domov/zpravy/pri-pandemii-nebude-mit-cr-vakciny-od-baxtera/391208?id=391210

UPDATE: CDC lumps all pneumonia deaths in the same category as flu. WSJ reported that CDC inflates statistics 1500% when covering this topic.
-----------------------------------------------------------
While its full steam ahead on the swine flu and vaccine manufacturing insanity a recent article exposes a critical issue supporting the views opposing the pandemic propaganda, the need for a vaccine, and its news you need to hear.

Just consider these components from of Mike Stobbe's AP Article "Ouch! Early flu shot season comes with 3 jabs"

Ouch! is the operative word here, and please let me know if this isn't confusing:

> Experts suggest you get that first shot as early as this month (August)

> Scientists believe the swine flu vaccine will be most effective if given in two doses, about three weeks apart, although testing is still under way to check that.

> Scientists are just beginning to test the safety and effectiveness of the new swine flu vaccine, work that is expected to take months.

> "I think it's safe to say we expect some confusion," said Kristine Sheedy, a CDC communications specialist.

Well, my suggestion is that you skip the Flu Folly and read more here, here, here, here, and here before you readily give up your body to experimentation.

Retired Vax Scientist Would Never Vaccinate His Kids

Flu, Pregnancy and Schizophrenia

If one understands that a vaccine raises the risk you will contract the disease in the vaccine, putting pregnant women and their progeny at risk is unconscionable.

CDC Flu TARGET Group Guidelines for H1N1

Looking at the terrible state of mental health care today and the damge wrought by dangerous drugs used even more so makes a thinking person wonder what experiment will be next.

Flu During Pregnancy May Increase Risk Of Schizophrenia In Certain Offspring

ScienceDaily (2009-06-11) -- When mothers become infected with influenza during their pregnancy, it may increase the risk for schizophrenia in their offspring. Influenza is a very common virus and so there has been substantial concern about this association. A new study suggests that the observed association depends upon a pre-existing vulnerability in the fetus. ... > read full article

Make sure to read "Vitamin C Facts" for natural approaches to schizophrenia, Flu and Autism

Aluminum and Cooking

UPDATE: 3 February 2010

    In the brain of his low dose test animals, Isaacson observed a tangling of capillary blood vessels, reduced oxygen uptake along with the peculiar crystalline structures, all of which are identical to those found in Alzheimer's victims. Dr. Isaacson's research indicates that the Alzheimer's-like effects result from the transport of aluminum to the brain and the high death rates from the toxicity of the fluorine.
    Aluminum has previously to this, of course, been implicated in Alzheimer's, but how is the link made between fluoridation of human drinking water and the presence of aluminum fluoride? According to Drs. Carton and Burgstahler, fluoride being the most electrochemically active of all the elements, it has a strong propensity to create metallic compounds with itself whenever fluoridated water comes into contact with such things as aluminum cooking vessels. Ergo: there is created aluminum fluoride from cooking with such vessels using fluoridated water and not incidentally, according to Dr. Robert Carton, former EPA scientist, aluminum is used in city water treatment.
    "An incidental observation of possible importance must be mentioned," the research paper adds. "Pathologic changes were found in the kidneys of animals in both the AlF 3 and NaF [sodium fluoride] groups." If all this weren't enough, the research team observed a "general impairment in the immune capacities of the treated subjects." They also found that the death rate increased among those animals treated with the aluminum fluoride where stress was elevated due to a training regime.

Originally posted Feb, 2009


I think this clarifies that using aluminum cookware of any kind is not health promoting. Keep in mind too that aluminum is now often used as a preservaative in vaccines.

Is anodized aluminum cookware better than non-anodized?

Concerns with aluminum cookware come from the fact that measurable amounts of aluminum can migrate from the pot into the food. Several research studies have confirmed migration of aluminum from conventional aluminum cookware at a level of concern for our health. Aluminum is included in the 2007 list of top priority toxins in the United States (a list put out every year by the Agency for Toxic Substances &; Disease Registry), and aluminum has been clearly identified as a toxin for the human nervous system (neurotoxicity), immune system (immunotoxicity), and genetic system (genotoxicity).

Anodization is a process in which chemical baths are used to prepare the surface of aluminum to receive an electrical charge that will increase the thickness of the oxide layer and make it harder, more durable, and less likely to corrode. Anodized aluminum is definitely less reactive than non-anodized aluminum and will leach less aluminum as a result, provided that the surface has not been damaged. Although it is more difficult to damage the surface of anodized versus non-anodized aluminum, its surface can still be damaged.

Although the non-stick properties of anodized aluminum have been a selling point for this cookware to consumers, most cookware in the marketplace using anodized aluminum does not feature this material on the surface that is in contact with the food; instead, they feature a specialized non-stick surface that may have potential toxicity problems much greater than anodized aluminum. Many manufacturers are taking advantage of the durability and quick heat-transfer properties of anodized aluminum by using this material on the exterior of their pots and pans, but they are leaving the non-stick tasks to another material (not anodized aluminum).

Given all of the potential health risk factors listed above-together with the environmental problems created by aluminum mining and manufacturing-I still favor stainless steel and porcelain-coated pots as my first choices for stovetop cooking. Copper-bottomed pots or pots with a layer of copper in between the stainless steel are also fine. Some stainless steel cookware now comes with a layer of anodized aluminum sandwiched inside, and that cookware would also be fine from a health standpoint, even though the environmental problems with aluminum would remain.

It's important to wash all cookware carefully. For example, take care not to scour stainless steel pots too harshly when cleaning them as once the surface of the stainless steel has been damaged, the pot will leak nickel into the food that is being cooked. Stainless steel pads or brushes, for example, are too harsh in my opinion to risk using.

Inside the oven, stainless steel, tempered glass designed for oven use (for example, oven-safe Pyrex), and non-leaded ceramic are all good choices.

References:

Rajwanshi P, Singh V, Gupta MK, et al. Leaching of aluminium for cookwares: A review. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 1997;19(1):1-18.

Gramiccioni L, Ingrao G, Milana MR, et al. Aluminium levels in Italian diets and in selected foods from aluminium utensils. Food Additives and Contaminants. 1996; 13(7):767-774.
Courtesy: whfoods.org

And again we have a report on the correlation of aluminum and Alzheimer's.

Aluminum, silica in water affect Alzheimer's riskWed Mar 4, 2009
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Higher levels of aluminum in drinking water appear to increase people's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, whereas higher levels of silica appear to decrease the risk, according to French investigators.

"Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial disease, and aluminum concentrations in drinking water may have an effect on cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Virginie Rondeau told Reuters Health.

The results of some studies suggest that silica reduces the oral absorption of aluminum or increases the excretion of this metal.

Rondeau, at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale in Bordeaux, and her colleagues examined associations between exposure to aluminum or silica from drinking water and the risk of cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease among elderly subjects followed for 15 years.

Daily aluminum intake of at least 0.1 milligram was associated with greater cognitive decline during the course of the study, the team reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Subjects with a high daily aluminum intake had a 2.26-fold increased risk of dementia, the researchers note. On the other hand, for every 10 milligram-per-day intake of silica, the odds of developing dementia dropped by 11 percent.

"Further studies are needed to settle the debate over the link between aluminum or silica in drinking water and neurologic disorders and cognitive impairment," the investigators conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, February 15, 2009.
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited

Spain Serious About Gardasil Risks

This certainly isn't the US approach, but it is probably just a matter of time.

Please parents, pay attention to this newest report about the dangers of Gardasil.

Find more about Gardasil and other risky vaccines via our search window.

Spain withdraws cervical cancer shot after illnessesTue Feb 10, 2009

MADRID (AFP) – Spanish health authorities have withdrawn tens of thousands of doses of a vaccine against cervical cancer after two teenagers who received the shots were hospitalised, regional authorities said on Tuesday.

A batch of nearly 76,000 doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) was withdrawn from market, a government statement said, after two girls in the eastern Valencia region fell seriously ill hours after receiving them.

"One of the girls got out of intensive care this weekend and the other is still there. Both are in stable condition," a Valencia health department spokeswoman told AFP.

The two girls were vaccinated last week as part of a vast government vaccination programme targeting adolescents.

The vaccine prevents the most common types of HPV, a common virus spread through sexual contact that can cause cervical cancer.

Some 500,000 cases of cervical cancer are discovered each year, according to United Nations estimates, many in developing countries. If left untreated, invasive cervical cancer is almost always fatal.

Spanish health authorities said in a statement the batch of the Gardasil brand of vaccines was distributed country-wide, with some earmarked for regional vaccination programs and the rest sold at pharmacies.

The vaccine has been available for girls since 2006, ideally before their first sexual encounter.

Sweden recently announced it would offer the vaccines to all primary school girls free of charge as of 2010.

Copyright © 2009 Agence France Presse

More on Vaccine Issues

This following document is a very important evaluation of the latest AAP and CDC spin on vaccines.

There are risks to health involving vaccines. It is a known fact for many years. Unfortunately you may not be receiving the information you need to meet the informed consent standard.

A few issues ago our opt-in newsletter, herbalYODA Says! focused on informed consent issues.

Press Release
For Immediate Release:Feb 6, 2009
Response to Dr. Ari Brown and the Immunization Action Coalition

Informed consent is a crucial element of the foundation upon which ethical medical practice rests. Providing patients, parents, or guardians with an honest assessment of the risks and benefits of any medical procedure requires the physician to be, to the best of his or her ability, “informed.”

Read Full Document: Response to Dr. Ari Brown and the Immunization Action Coalition

The full response was produced by Thoughtful House Center for Children in response to one written by Dr. Ari Brown titled “Clear Answers and Smart Advice About Your Baby’s Shots,” which attempts to deal with the vaccine-autism controversy. Brown is an official spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Her document [1], is endorsed and published by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC), a US organization funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the vaccine manufacturers. In short, it is the public relations arm of those who are legally and ethically responsible for vaccine safety. Given this background, one might reasonably expect a comprehensive, well researched, and persuasive overview. Since the topic of vaccination is so important and because we have major concerns about the accuracy of much of what this document says, we are providing a point-by-point response.

We are most grateful to the Editor and staff of Medical Veritas for their expert assistance in the review and editing of this document. The article will appear in Medical Veritas 2009;6:1907-1924.

Andrew J Wakefield, MB, BS, FRCS, FRCPath

Another Gardasil Gaffe

When does the madeness stop?

Mystery illness paralyses girl given cervical cancer jab by Daniel Foggo and Philip Cardy

A 12-year-old schoolgirl has been left paralysed from the waist down by a mystery illness that came on 30 minutes after she was given the new anticervical cancer jab.

Ashleigh Cave suffered dizziness and headaches soon after the vaccination at her school and then deteriorated rapidly, collapsing several times over the following days.

A week later she was admitted to hospital after losing all strength in her legs and, two months on, there has been no improvement.

Her mother Cheryl, 37, from Aintree, Merseyside, is blaming her daughter’s condition on the human papillomavirus (HPV) jab, which was introduced in Britain in September as part of a government-funded vaccination programme.

All girls aged 12 and 13 are being offered vaccinations with Cervarix, a drug that stimulates the body to defend itself against HPV, to protect against the later onset of cervical cancer which is linked to the virus.

In America, where an immunisation programme using a similar product, Gardasil, began more than a year earlier, there have been dozens of serious “adverse events” reported in which a link to the vaccinations is suspected.

They included 30 deaths in addition to cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome, an auto-immune disease that can cause paralysis. The American authorities have said, however, that there is no evidence the HPV jabs caused these reactions.

Ashleigh’s case has been logged with Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as an instance of possible Guillain-Barré syndrome, although her doctors have now apparently ruled it out as the cause.

The agency has also indicated that the illness was probably not caused by the jab. Ashleigh’s doctor at Alder Hey children’s hospital, Liverpool, where she is undergoing tests, has said she did not have a “pathological reaction” to the vaccine.

Cheryl Cave said that she found the timing of her daughter’s symptoms impossible to ignore.

She said that within 30 minutes of Ashleigh having the jab at Maricourt Catholic high school on the morning of October 15, she was complaining of severe headaches and dizziness. Over the next 48 hours her condition worsened and she collapsed five times. Two days later they set off to visit friends in Hampshire but the schoolgirl collapsed again on the train.

She was admitted to Frimley Park hospital in Camberley, Surrey, where doctors gave the initial diagnosis of “vertigo and generalised myalgia, probably due to recent vaccinations”.

On October 22, a week after she was given the HPV jab, she was admitted to Alder Hey hospital, where she has remained ever since.

Her mother said: “At first they tried to tell us she was imagining it because she was being bullied . . . they will not mention her illness and the vaccine in the same sentence.”

A spokesman for the medicines agency said: “Guillain-Barré syndrome naturally occurs in the population. There is no good evidence to suggest that the Cervarix vaccine can cause [it].”

GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Cervarix, said that the agency had suggested the case “was not linked to the vaccine”.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article5337885.ece

An UPDATE from a colleague in France

RE:Daily Mail 14.12.2008
CERVICAL CANCER JAB LEFT MY 12 YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER PARALYSED,SAYS MOTHER
12 year old Ashleigh Cave of Liverpool developed a mystery illness half and hour after receiving cervical cancer vaccine and is now paralysed from the waist down.
There have been 30 deaths reported with the vaccine and cases of Guillian-Barre syndrome, an immune disorder which can lead to paralysis.-- --------- -----

Edward's comments: The BNF drug book doctors prescribe from in the UK lists possible side effects due to vaccines - anaphylactic shock etc. A book which I have by specialist immunologists points out that instead of the desired resistance to disease a vaccine can cause hypersensitivity and tissue damage. These documented undesirable effects are swept under the carpet in the efforts to sell more products.

It's Old News and You Aren't Getting It

This blog and material found on our original domain, www.leaflady.org, will help you find quite a bit of accurate, scientific information about viruses, cold and flu.

We aren't offering sensationalistic rants as seems to be the driving factor on some other sites. We offer facts and we try to provide information that will help you face health concerns in a more informed and educated approach. We also hope to encourage your enquiring mind so you will seek other corroboration.

Another medical colleague has provided some sound analysis on the current state of flu and vaccines. This doesn't surprise us because the track record for this vaccine, Tamiflu, has been abysmal if you have been tracking the data since the product got the FDA stamp to pass go in exchange for money.

Tamiflu really has been a failure for health but perhaps not for money.

However, since you most likely won't see these latest reports, we'll put them here for your edification.

And remember, the best prevention for flu is good health and sound nutritional status. If you get on this tract, you'll be amazed at the difference, and you'll save a bundle of money over the long term of a healthy life.

Commentary by Dr. Henry Niman www.recombinomics.com

H1N1 Tamiflu Resistance Reporting Delays in North America
November 23, 2008

Based on the level of oseltamivir resistance observed in only one influenza subtype, H1N1, and the persisting high levels of resistance to the adamantanes in H3N2 viruses, CDC continues to recommend the use of oseltamivir and zanamivir for the treatment or prevention of influenza in the United States. Use of amantadine or rimantadine is not recommended.

The above comments from the latest influenza weekly report from the CDC comments on the levels of anti-viral resistance “observed”. However, reports from Europe and North America suggest that virtually all influenza A in the United States this season will be resistant to at least one anti-viral. The resistance rate for H3N2 for amantadines remains at or near 100%. Although test results for this season has been very limited, all H3N2 tested thus far has been resistant to amantadines. Similarly, last season the rate of resistance for the H1N1 sub-clade 2C (Hong Kong) was also 100%. Last season there were two H1N1 sub-clades in circulation in the US, and the rate of Tamiflu resistance for clade 2B (Brisbane/59) was around 10%. However, the level rose to 100% in several countries in the southern hemisphere in the 2008 season, and initial reports from Europe and North America (England, 12/13; Scotland, 2/2; Norway, 1/1; Canada, 1/1; United States, 1/1) suggest the level for clade 2B will be at or near 100% this season.

The numbers “observed” in the United States is low, because the reported number tested is low. In the latest report, the United States has reported 62 H1N1 isolates, but none have been tested for both oseltamivir and amantadine resistance. One isolate collected in September, prior to the official start of this flu season was amantadine resistance, strongly suggesting was clade 2C. One of two isolates tested for Tamiflu resistance this season had H274Y, and it is likely that the other will be amantadine resistant (but test results have not been released) and clade 2C.

Since the level of Tamiflu resistance is expected to be near 100%, it is somewhat surprising that more test results have not been released. The UK has issued an initial report on the 12/13 with H274Y in southwestern England, and has noted that two resistant isolates were also identified in Scotland, indicating the Tamiflu resistance is widespread.

Canada announced the resistance in its first influenza A isolate, but that was over a month ago, and Canada has also not released addition data. Thus, even though the Tamiflu resistance levels of clade 2B are expected to be at or near 100%, each country has only released test results on one clade 2B isolate, and both were resistant, consistent with frequencies reported in Europe this season.

Since most clinicians in North America are unaware of the expectation that the vast majority of Brisbane/59 H1N1 will be Tamiflu resistant, prompt release of test results would be useful.