Avian Influenza

What is “Bird Flu”?
Avian influenza (also known as bird flu, avian flu, H5N1, influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu) is an extremely virulent form of flu that originated in Asia and has since spread to other areas around the world. It is endemic to bird populations but can spread to other species, including humans. Thus far the virus has been contracted mostly through human-avian contact, but health officials around the world fear a virus strain that could be easily transmitted from human to human and result in a worldwide pandemic.

Bird Flu Symptoms
Symptoms of the bird flu include sore throat, cough, fever, pneumonia, respiratory problems and respiratory failure. Human bird flu cases have only been found in Asia, but avian flue in fowl has spread to Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Russia, Turkey and Romania.

History of the Bird Flu
Bird flu was first detected in Hong Kong in 1997, where it infected 18 people, 6 of whom succumbed to the virus. Since that time is has spread steadily throughout Asia and into Russia and eastern Europe. As of 2005, well over 100 people have been infected with the bird flu, with a 50 percent mortality rate in those who contract the H5N1 virus.

Containment Measures
Thus far, the most effective containment measure for the avian flu has been the culling hundreds of millions of birds since the flu’s outbreak. Whenever an outbreak of the flu is detected, any birds possibly linked to the disease are destroyed. At various times governments around the world have placed bans on imports of chicken and chicken products from areas know to have had flu outbreaks. Quarantining humans and livestock can also slow the spread of the virus. Birds discovered to carry the H5N1 virus are also quarantined, and anyone who has had contact with them is immediately treated with antivirals. In addition, government and health officials worldwide have met to draft preparedness plans in the event that the bird flu mutates to an easily transmittable form.

Treatment: Tamilflu
In 1999 the flu drug Tamiflu was approved. It is an antiviral that is used in both treatment and prevention of the bird flu.  Tamiflu has become extremely popular as countries around the world try to stockpile the treatments in case of an outbreak. Roche, the maker of Tamiflu, is only able to make a limited amount of the treatment, nowhere near the amount that would be necessary in the event of an outbreak. Tamiflu is still under patent, but under pressure from many governments, Roche eventually partnered with 12 firms in order to significantally boost production of the drug; the company has also granted one sublicense to a Chinese biotech. In addition to Roche’s Tamiflu, other biotechs are racing to formulate their own treatment for the avian flu. Though these experimental drugs are still in development, laws do allow emergency use of unapproved drugs in the case of a pandemic.

Every day there are new developments in the race to prevent a worldwide pandemic of the bird flu, and FierceBiotech covers all the breaking news.

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