Scientists are closely monitoring changes in flu viruses all around the world

The European Centre for Disease Control said that research which they had carried out showed that some of the seasonal flu viruses were becoming resistant to the influenza medication Tamiflu made by Roche. The research showed that out of almost 150 individual samples of the influenza virus which were taken from ten different European countries over November and December, nineteen of them showed indications of resistance to Tamiflu. Most of the Tamiflu resistant flu viruses appeared in Norway.

In response Roche said that while they agreed with the research there were no indications that the Tamiflu was unable to counteract the extremely dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus that the world is so concerned about at present.  Roche also said that the study was a very small one and that Tamiflu was still without a doubt the most effective medication to treat anyone with influenza or more importantly the bird flu type of the illness.

Flu viruses mutate and change all the time and that is why they can potentially be extremely dangerous. At present it is extremely difficult for humans to get the H5N1 variant of the influenza virus but scientists say that it is only a matter of time before the virus changes into a form which makes it very easy for humans to pick up like common influenza.

Scientists are closely monitoring changes in flu viruses all around the world in the hope that they will be able to immediately identify when the H5N1 influenza virus mutates into a dangerous form which could cause a worldwide flu pandemic that could potentially kill hundreds of thousands of people.

The official statistics from the World Health Organisation show that the H5N1 bird flu virus has killed 221 individuals out of 353 known to have been infected with it.