No additional cases of Tamiflu-resistant H1N1 flu have been found at Duke University Medical Center, officials reported Tuesday.
Last month, four people in a cancer ward at the hospital were discovered to have contracted a resistant strain of the pandemic virus, and three died.
Hospital officials, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, began a testing program to see whether additional cases showed up. Duke reported Tuesday that patients on the ward, which is on the hospital's ninth floor, have been tested several times in the past 10 days.
"We're pleased with the results to date," Dr. Daniel Sexton, an infectious disease specialist, said in a prepared statement. "However, much work is still being done to better understand the nature of the four cases that were reported previously."
At least one family member of a former Duke patient in the cancer unit said he is concerned about the cluster of resistant influenza at the hospital. Chris Telesca, whose mother was at the hospital from Oct. 5 through Nov. 2, said his mother began complaining of flu symptoms on Oct. 15 and asked him to bring her a thermometer from home so she could check her temperature.
Telesca said his mother was released to a rehabilitation facility, only to be re-admitted to Duke on Nov. 9. She died a few days later, and Telesca said he has not been able to determine whether she was ever tested for flu.
"I'm very concerned about this," Telesca said.
Resistance to Tamiflu, a front-line defense to ease the symptoms and duration of flu, has occurred sporadically with the H1N1 virus. Three resistant cases were reported earlier in North Carolina, and a cluster occurred last month in Wales. Health officials note that the drug remains effective for most severe cases of infection, and the majority of people who get H1N1 flu have mild to moderate symptoms that do not call for Tamiflu.
In addition, cases of flu in North Carolina are declining from a peak in mid-October. While hospitalizations have hovered around 450 in recent weeks, the number of flu deaths dropped to two last week, state officials reported Tuesday.
