What is avian flu?
Laptop Battery Avian or bird flu is an infection caused by an influenza virus that occurs naturally in wild birds. Often referred to as the H5N1 virus, bird flu is spread easily among birds and can sicken and kill domesticated birds such as chickens, ducks and turkeys.
The active ingredient in Tamiflu, Oseltamivir is currently the best known protection against an attack of the flu virus. neuraminidase and Oseltamivir blocks the action of this very protein. This makes Tamiflu highly effective in arresting the spread of the flu virus and restricting the effect of influenza. With Tamiflu treatment, the body's immune system becomes capable of taking command and attacking the virus to provide a shorter illness period and milder disease symptoms.
Thinkpad The virus does not usually infect humans but some humans have become infected after coming into contact with sick birds or contaminated surfaces.
States that have been particularly hard hit this season include California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas, Oregon, Nevada and Kansas. Tamiflu targets the most common influenza strains, types A and B. Roche temporarily halted some Tamiflu shipments to the United States during the fall, when consumers fearful of a bird flu pandemic hoarded the drug. Tamiflu has shown some promise for treating people infected with the H5N1 bird flu strain, but it has not been approved for that use.
Microsoft Very few people have contracted the virus from a person, in what is called human-to-human contact. But scientists fear that because humans rarely get infected they also lack immune protection from the virus.
Tamiflu Description Tamiflu contains the active ingredient oseltamivir phosphate, which is a type of medicine called a neuraminidase inhibitor. Tamiflu used as an oral medication to treat and prevent infection with the influenza virus (flu). Tamiflu, which is manufactured by Roche, has been selected as the medication of choice by the World Health Organisation in the event of an outbreak of a human form of the Avian Flu H5N1.
Laptop Computers If the virus mutates or changes, as viruses often do, and becomes easily spread from person to person, experts worry that millions around the world could be infected.
We have heard some pretty alarming news today that around 13% of European flu viruses this winter are proving resitant to Tamiflu, the drug being stockpiled by governments the world over in case of a flu pandemic. This study flies in the face of studies done last year which showed little or no resitance to Tamiflu. The worst country affected was Norway where 12 out of 16 viruses of the H1N1 variety had the mutation which made it resistant to Tamiflu. This extraordinary figure did serve to skew the results for the rest of Europe which would have been 5% without Norway's contribution. Roche, the manufacturer of Tamiflu has stated that it would be unwise to draw any rash conclusions from this study and further work requires to be done.
Laptop Computer The last flu pandemic, which started in Hong Kong in 1968, killed almost 1 million people. Between 20 million and 40 million people worldwide died as a result of the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. Researchers recently discovered that the 1918 flu virus originated in birds.
3. Is there a treatment for bird flu Professionals currently researching the Avian bird flu claim that rimantidine and amantidine, two cheap and popular flu drugs, have no power over the bird flu, but Relenza and Tamiflu, two other flu drugs, can indeed effectively treat the viral disease. 4. Is there a risk of a bird flu epidemic Experts in this area suggest that rapid and extensive culling and quarantining of potentially infected animals is the best way to prevent an epidemic. Another option is vaccination of birds against the bird flu virus.
Desktop Computer The threat of a deadly bird flu is the latest health scare to spur emergency planning in the United States and around the world.
Notebooks The top U.S. health official, Michael Leavitt, is traveling to Southeast Asia, where the avian or bird flu has spread through poultry and killed 60 people since 2003.
Lenovo Leavitt said the risk of a flu pandemic - a flu outbreak that impacts many people around the world - is high.
Hard Drive "The likelihood of another [pandemic] is very high, some say even certain," Leavitt said in Thailand, where he is meeting with health officials about prevention efforts.
Travelstar President Bush has called for international plan to help the world prevent a pandemic.
Gateway "We're in communications with the world. I'm not predicting an outbreak. I'm just suggesting to you that we better be thinking about it, and we are," the president said.
Laptop Parts Prevention efforts
Software To prevent the wide-spread infection of millions, health officials are working to increase flu monitoring that will determine if people are getting the virus and to create flu vaccine stockpiles that can be used to contain infection.
Hard Drives "If you can get there fast enough and apply good public health techniques of isolating and quarantining and medicating and vaccinating the people in that area, you can ... squelch it or you can delay it," Leavitt told the Associated Press.
Electronics Currently, one vaccine shows promise in fighting the virus, but making enough of it could take months because each virus is different.
Canon "When and if a flu pandemic virus emerges, we will need to make vaccine to that virus so it's really not possible to stock pile a vaccine in large quantities in advance," Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the NewsHour.
Desktop Pc If the vaccine is not ready, antiviral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza, which do not cure influenza, could help reduce the number of infections and deaths.
Desktop Computers Critics
Think Pad But some critics of international efforts say not enough money is being allocated to contain the virus in birds.
Repair Farmers in poor countries like Vietnam and Indonesia are reluctant to kill birds exposed to the virus because they lose money needed to feed their own families. This could increase the chances of the virus spreading.
Data Recovery In the United States, some lawmakers point to the slow government response to Hurricane Katrina as evidence that local officials are not prepared for large-scale emergencies.
Cisco If avian flu spreads to the United States
Keyboard If containment and prevention fail and avian flu spreads to the United States, the Bush administration is looking into plans that could close schools, restrict travel and even use military troops to enforce a mass quarantine.
Monitor "If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not then quarantine that part of the country? And who best to be able to effect a quarantine? One option is the use of a military that's able to plan and move. So that's why I put it on the table. I think it's an important debate for Congress to have," President Bush said.
Desktop On an individual level, health officials say it's always a good idea for people to practice normal methods to avoid the spread of germs, such as regular hand-washing and keeping a distance from people who are coughing or have runny noses.
Infosys This article is written by Barbara Camie. For more information, visit - http://www.flu-information.be
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