Stories of mutated killer virus in Norway: fact or fear mongering?

Summary

Friday, 20 November 2009 16:45

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The Norwegian TV Channel TV2 has said two people have died from a mutated swine flu virus in Norway.

The two people who died from the mutated virus were also the first deaths in the country attributed to the swine flu.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health said today it had found a mutated version of the influenza A(H1N1) swine flu virus.

It is not clear what this mutation is or how lethal it is, sparking concerns that the media is fear mongering to drive Norwegians to take the untested swine flu jab.

http://www.tv2nyhetene.no/innenriks/helse/h1n1viruset-har-mutert-3019035.html Heres the online article.

http://www.fhi.no/eway/default.aspx?pid=238&trg=MainLeft_5812&MainLeft_5812=5825:81363::0:5967:1:::0:0

Mutation of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) in Norway

Published 20.11.2009 , updated: 20.11.2009, 15:36

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health announced today to have found a mutated version of the influenza A(H1N1) virus in three patients in Norway who had tested positive for the new flu.

The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has analysed virus from a number of patients as part of the surveillance of the pandemic flu virus. The viruses have many similarities, but some mutations have been observed. This is normal and most of these mutations will probably have little or no importance.

However, one mutation has caught special interest. It has been found in two patients who died from the new influenza A(H1N1) and in one patient with severe influenza disease. These were the two first patients who died from the new influenza in Norway. Some of those who died later have been examined without finding the same mutated virus.

The mutation could possibly make the virus more prone to infect deeper in the airways and thus cause more severe disease.

- We have analysed approximately 70 viruses from confirmed Norwegian cases and found the mutation in only these three patients, says Director General Geir Stene-Larsen at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. - Based on what we know so far, it seems that the mutated virus does not circulate in the population, but might be a result of spontaneous changes which have occurred in these three patients.

- There is no indication that this change in the virus is of any importance for the effect of the vaccine or the effect of antiviral treatment, concludes Stene-Larsen.

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