Swine Flu Death Toll Over 3,200 As Cases Of Tamiflu Resistance Rise

School closures can be an effective tool to slow spread of swine flu, the World Health Organization said Friday in a statement that neither encouraged or discouraged use of this measure.

The Geneva-based agency noted that early response to an uptick of flu activity in a school setting could slow spread and ease the demand for health care. But it noted school closures come at a cost – with parents or guardians having to stay home from work to care for younger children.

Some of those parents would be health-care professionals, which means a measure taken to ease the burden on health-care delivery might paradoxically add stress to that system, the WHO said in a statement posted on its website on Friday.

“When making decisions, health officials and school authorities need to be aware of economic and social costs that can be disproportionately high when viewed against these potential benefits,” it said.

The WHO said it could not offer advice on the issue that would be useful in all settings, saying national and local authorities are best situated to make these kinds of calls.

The global health organization also reported that swine flu has claimed at least 3,205 lives around the globe. Of those deaths, 74 have occurred in Canada, according to Public Health Agency of Canada figures released Thursday.

The WHO said the novel H1N1 virus remains the dominant flu strain seen around the globe, and the circulating viruses continue to look very similar, genetically, to the virus used to make swine flu vaccine.

The update said that 21 cases of resistance to the drug Tamiflu have been found – a figure that was instantly out of date with the report Friday from Australia that it had found a case.

Australian authorities said a man with a weakened immune system was given the drug to help him combat swine flu, but he developed resistance while on the drug.

Charles Penn, an antiviral expert with the WHO’s global influenza program, said no cases of resistance to the other main flu drug, Relenza, have been reported.

In addition to Australia, cases of Tamiflu resistance have been reported in Denmark, Canada, the United States, Singapore and China – both on the mainland and in Hong Kong.

Most of the cases have occurred in people who were given the drug either to prevent infection after exposure to the virus or as treatment.

But two cases have occurred in people who hadn’t taken Tamiflu, which suggests they were infected with drug-resistant viruses.

The first involved a girl from San Francisco who had travelled to Hong Kong while ill. The source of her infection was never identified.

The second, reported this week by public health officials in Hong Kong, involved a man who contracted the virus in late July. Investigation revealed that the man was part of a cluster of cases. His wife, son and two younger brothers were also ill; one of the brothers was treated with Tamiflu.

Viruses from all other members of the family were tested and shown to be sensitive to the drug, Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Infection said in a news release.

Furthermore, specimens collected from the brother who was given Tamiflu before he began to take the drug showed he was infected with a Tamiflu-sensitive strain. That suggests he may have developed resistance while on the drug.

All members of the family had mild illnesses and recovered, the news release stated.