Officials from the Tan Binh District Preventive Health Agency in HCMC instruct a local resident (C) on preventive measures to guard against influenza A (H1N1)

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is studying the genes of H1N1 virus from two patients following suspicion about its resistance to the antiviral drug oseltamivir or Tamilflu.

The Health Ministry reported Wednesday 11 new influenza A (H1N1) patients – seven in the south, one in the central and three in the northern region, raising the country’s tally to 259.

Of these, 186 patients have been discharged from hospitals after full recovery.

The ministry also said they are closely monitoring treatment-resistance among the virus.

The ministry will allow more hospitals to announce official test results instead of having to wait for the results of another test by authorized agencies.

This would avoid wastage of time and reduce the government’s expenditure on testing, which comes to about US$150 per case, the ministry said.

The Department of Health in Thua Thien-Hue city Province, said Wednesday they had instructed districts to set up facilities to quarantine those suspected of carrying the virus and treating confirmed H1N1 patients.

Nguyen Dung, the department director, said the facilities at the districts would meet all criteria issued by the Health Ministry, and help ease overload in the provincial level hospitals. This will also prevent possible spread of the flu while transporting the patients, he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) Wednesday said some 137 countries and territories have reported over 98,000 cases including over 440 deaths.

WHO has been informed by health authorities in Denmark, Japan and the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong, China of the appearance of H1N1 viruses which are resistant to Tamiflu based on laboratory testing.

Reported by Thanh Nien staff