Bid Adieu to Bird Flu with Tamiflu : Fine Generics

Preventive Measures of Bird Flu
With every new frontier that Avian Influenza crosses, the general public is bombarded with a huge media coverage and increasing anxiety...

With every new frontier that Avian Influenza crosses, the general public is bombarded with a huge media coverage and increasing anxiety. Two week ago bird flu officially crossed the English Channel and entered Britain. In fact the discovery of a half eaten carcass of a migratory whopper swan in Cellardyke, Scotland, on the 29th of March created a sensation. Some quick lab testing confirmed that indeed the bird had the deadly H5N1 virus responsible for bird flu. What raised eyebrows were that the carcass was half eaten either by a rodent or a domestic animal like a dog or a cat. This would mean that there is still a possibility of an animal carrier of the virus in Britain.

Early test results suggested the swan found in Scotland had an almost identical virus to birds found in Germany, which saw an outbreak of H5N1 in Ruegen last month. The breed originates from outside Britain but it was unclear whether the dead bird picked up the disease abroad A number of migratory whooper swans have recently been checked and all results have been negative. Some experts have suggested the swan could have died in another country and been washed up on the coast. The whooper swan is known to migrate from Iceland, Scandinavia and northern Russia to spend winters in Britain, the Low countries and the south Baltic Sea.

The authorities are hopeful that this, combined with the lack of any further cases, means the Cellardyke swan could be a "one-off" case

Microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington said confirmation of the swan's identity made it more likely that the case was an isolated one. The German connection to the bird flu makes most of the British public very jittery. Germany has seen a number of bird cases and the chances are very high that more birds coming via Germany will bring more of the virus - a virtual invasion of Britain with Bird Flu.

According to experts, bird flu would not be "a foot-and-mouth situation - the virus is not going to go on the rampage". But that has not pacified the general public. Some 8000 anxious callers jammed telephone lines to report dead birds.

However, the H5N1 virus cannot pass easily from one person to another and therefore currently does not pose a large-scale threat to humans. Experts, however, fear the virus could gain this ability if it mutates. They say it could trigger a flu pandemic in its new form, potentially putting millions of human lives at risk.

BIRD FLU FACT FILE

Bird flu viruses have 16 H subtypes and nine N subtypes. Four types of the virus are known to infect humans - H5N1, H7N3, H7N7 and H9N2. Most lead to minor symptoms, apart from H5N1, which has caused more than 100 deaths in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam

The World Health Organization says not all H5 or H7 strains are severe, but their ability to mutate means their presence is - always a cause for concern.

So how does one deal with Bird flu. Firstly prevention and if that is not completely successful, then quick effective treatment.

In terms of prevention in Cellardyke, the government has already sealed the area and has introduced a strict quarantine for the next 30 days. It has also made plans for the mass closure of schools, amid warnings that 100,000 children might die if the bird flu virus mutates into a human pandemic. Shutting schools could halve the number of pupils who would be killed if the bird flu virus mutates into a form that is transferable between humans.

Vaccination is another preventive alternative especially for the most vulnerable age group - children and the elderly. However, the virus will continue to mutate and vaccination may not work against a mutant virus. Along with that, the enormous cost of such a vaccination clearly requires justification. A human vaccine is still being developed and may take a few years to actually be approved for use.

Where prevention does not work, then one can be assured there are drugs that are effective against avian influenza. The best drug is Tamiflu which contains Oseltamivir Phosphate which is very effective especially if given early to patients suspected of or having bird flu. It is most convenient to use as an oral tablet. The other effective drug is Relenza which contains Zanamivir, but it cannot be taken orally and has to be inhaled. This makes it very inconvenient for patients to use. Amantadine and Rimantadine, two drugs which were very effective against the SARS Virus however are of little use here.

Today governments all over the world are stocking up on Tamiflu to discount the possibility of any mutation of the virus that would lead to a human to human transmission. Even a small outbreak of human to human transmitted bird flu can kill millions of people. But with Tamiflu around we have nothing to fear. Rather we can conveniently bid adieu to bird flu with Tamiflu.