By Fergus Walsh
Health correspondent, BBC News

Health officials in Cardiff are investigating the possible person-to-person spread of a Tamiflu-resistant strain of swine flu.

The strain has infected a small number of patients at the University Hospital Wales, all of whom have serious underlying health conditions.

If confirmed it would be the first case of its kind in Europe.

It appears one person developed resistance, and the strain was then passed on to others at the hospital.

There have been several dozen reports around the world of people developing resistance to tamiflu whilst taking the drug.

But what happened at the University Hospital Wales – person to person transmission – may be quite different.

There has been only one other similar case in the US among two people at a summer camp – but the resistant strain did not spread any further.

Further tests

Health officials in Wales said more tests were being carried out to confirm exactly what happened.

They are not yet confirming person to person spread.

All the patients are said to recovering and being cared for in controlled environments so there is no risk to anyone else.

Tamiflu is an antiviral and can reduce the risk of complications of flu as well as shortening the duration of illness.

The UK has enough doses for half the population.

Any spread of a Tamiflu resistance strain of swine flu would be a serious public health concern, but there is no evidence to suggest that this has happened.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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Article Source: Health And Fitness Journal
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Swimming in a chlorinated pool may boost the odds that a child susceptible to asthma and allergies will develop these problems.

Chlorinated pools irritate the airways of swimmers, exerting a strong additive effect on the development of asthma and respiratory allergies such as hay fever and allergic rhinitis.

The impact of chlorinated pools on the respiratory health of children and adolescents appears to be much more important — at least by a factor of five — than that associated with secondhand smoke.

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Article Source: Health And Fitness Journal
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Extracts from green tea may prevent the formation of mouth cancers in people with risk signs of the disease, according to a new study from Texas. Over 50 per cent of participants in the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center study experienced a clinical response to the green tea extracts.

“While still very early, and not definitive proof that green tea is an effective preventive agent, these results certainly encourage more study for patients at highest risk for oral cancer,” lead researcher Vassiliki Papadimitrakopoulou, MD.

“The extract’s lack of toxicity is attractive – in prevention trials, it’s very important to remember that these are otherwise healthy individuals and we need to ensure that agents studied produce no harm,” he added. “We need to further understand if green tea offers longer-term prevention effects for patients.”

Almost 60 per cent of people taking the two highest doses of the green tea extracts had a clinical response. Just over 36 per cent of people in the lowest extract dose group had a clinical response, compared to 18 per cent in the placebo group, said the researchers.

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Article Source: Health And Fitness Journal
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