Health Articles : Infections : Bird Flu
Bird Flu Virus : Bird Flu Epidemic
Bird Flu EpidemicViruses are masters of inter-species routing. Mutating swiftly and often grabbing the genetic material of other viruses ..... Viruses are masters of inter-species routing. Mutating swiftly and often grabbing the genetic material of other viruses, they can jump from animals to humans with a quick flick of their DNA. Sometimes, as in West Nile fever, the transfer takes place through an intermediate host such as a mosquito. But viruses can also makes the entry directly. Since the 1980s, the list of diseases that have hitchhiked directly from animals to people has grown swiftly, like that of hantavirus, SARS, monkey pox and, most recently, avian influenza, commonly called bird flu. With the exception of HIV/AIDS, perhaps none of these illnesses has more potential to generate widespread harm than bird flu does.
In people, bird flu generally begins much like conventional influenza, with fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches, but bird flu can lead to life-threatening complications. So far, bird flu is hard for humans to contract, but health officials warn a major flu outbreak could takes place if the virus mutates into a form that can spread easily from person to person. The grimmest scenario of the bird flu would be a global epidemic to rival the flu pandemic of 1918 and 1919, which claimed millions of lives worldwide. In the meantime, researchers are trying to search out options for a vaccine. Bird flu seems to be increasing the resistance to the flu drug Tami flu. And a French vaccine maker has generated a bird flu vaccine that promoted an immune system response but still needs further study.
The vaccine still requires to be tested over several months in adults older than 65 and in children. The vaccine won't be licensed until late in 2006, and it will take at least 6 to 12 months to create useful amounts. Right now, the only treatment option is the flu drug oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor that works by preventing the virus from escaping its host cell. It's not clear how efficient Tami flu will ultimately prove against H5N 1. In Southeast Asia, resistance to it seems to be developing rapidly. Another antiviral flu drug, Relenza, might be an alternative. But both drugs must be taken within two days after the appearance of symptoms, something that might prove logistically difficult on a worldwide scale, even if there were enough to go around. Because they're in short supply, it's not wholly clear how flu drugs would be allocated if there were a widespread epidemic.
Bird Flu ThailandThailand was first hit by the devastation and the havocs caused by the 1918-19 pandemic known as the Spanish flu that encircled the world. .....
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