# 3761
The headlines splashed across the news wires this morning, based on an AP report, sound ominous. But the reality may be somewhat less dire.
WHO chief: Swine flu virus may develop resistance to vaccine Jerusalem Post - National 13:31
WHO: Early Signs H1N1 Developing Vaccine Resistance Fox News Channel - Health 12:55
Signs swine flu is developing vaccine resistance TV3 - Latest News 13:05
This wire report comes on the heels of an earlier statement from Ms. Chan that the novel H1N1 virus has remained antigenically stable since its discovery in April.
So . . . which is it?
The only clue comes from the last paragraph of the AP story, which states:
Chan said manufacturers were on track to develop billions of new doses of the vaccine over the next year. The vaccine is highly effective against the swine flu virus, though there were a small number of instances — about 25 in the world — of a vaccine-resistant flu.
While the report offers little real detail, for now I have to assume that this story has mixed up Tamiflu resistance with vaccine resistance.
Two entirely different matters.
We’ve had reports of a couple of dozen cases of Tamiflu resistant novel H1N1 viruses over the summer. While of concern, that has nothing to do with the billions of doses of vaccine being developed.
Hopefully we’ll see a clarification on this story soon.
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