India rejects US study, says no mutation in swine flu strain

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 12

The Centre today rejected a research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US, which says the H1N1 virus responsible for over 1,500 deaths since late last December has a new and more infectious strain than the one witnessed in 2009 during the global swine flu pandemic.

“We reject the fear of mutation of Influenza A H1N1 virus circulating in India. No such mutation has occurred. Recently, the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, analysed six full genomes of the currently circulating virus and the analysis also suggests absence of such mutations,” the Health Ministry said today clarifying its position on a research that implies heavy public health consequences for India in the wake of the swine flu outbreak.

As of yesterday, the outbreak had claimed 1,587 lives with over 27,889 lab confirmed cases.

The MIT study published in a journal “Cell Host and Microbe” under the title “Influenza surveillance: 2014-2015 H1N1 Swine-Derived Influenza Viruses from India” claims new and dangerous mutations in the H1N1 virus saying it has acquired properties that make it more dangerous than the 2009 strain.

“Our experts have examined the findings mentioned in the publication. We found that the strain analysed in the publication and the sequence data of the original H1N1 virus as available with NIV didn’t show these mutations. Subsequent report on antigenic/ genetic analysis of the virus by the Centre for Diseases Control, Atlanta, and the WHO also didn’t report any Oseltamivir resistance or genetic changes in the virus genes that could be virulent markers,” the Ministry said, adding that people need not worry over an incorrect conclusion in a publication.

The MIT research says the recent H1N1 Indian strains carry new mutations that make the virus more virulent.