Scientists replicate deadly 1918 flu virus

pluiepoco · 11-04-2005, 05:50 PM

Quote:

WASHINGTON, Oct 5, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Scientists for the first time have reconstructed the 1918 Spanish influenza virus strain that caused the deadliest flu outbreak in history in an attempt to ward off another worldwide pandemic.

The Spanish flu outbreak killed as many as 50 million people at the time, and disease experts think another global flu pandemic is inevitable and due to emerge soon. Currently, public health officials are focusing their attention on a strain of avian flu spreading in Asia and Russia, because it appears to be very lethal to people, killing about 50 percent of those it infects.

pluiepoco · 11-04-2005, 05:53 PM

Eu Team Develops Human Vaccine for H7n1 Bird Flu Strain

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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European influenza experts have developed the first human vaccine for a virulent strain of bird flu that may be able to jump from poultry to humans, the EU's executive Commission said on Thursday.

This virus strain, known as H7N1, is classified as highly pathogenic and caused lethal flu outbreaks among Italian poultry in 1999. But the risk of it emerging as a pandemic strain is lower than H5N1, which has killed more than 60 people in Asia.

A six-partner consortium from Britain, France and Italy -- including academic and scientific institutions as well as the vaccines unit of Franco-German drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis -- has developed the new vaccine, called RD-3.

Clinical trials will begin in spring 2006.

"Research shows that this particular avian flu virus can be transmitted to humans who are in direct contact with the infected animal," Philip Tod, the Commission's spokesman for health and food safety, told a daily news briefing.

"This is part of the broad range of activities that the European Commission is undertaking to prepare ourselves for the eventuality of a human flu pandemic," he said.

Since the H7N1 virus was too dangerous for direct use in standard influenza vaccine production, the vaccine was produce using a process known as reverse genetics and is the first vaccine not to use eggs in its production.

pluiepoco · 11-04-2005, 05:56 PM

Bird Flu Vaccine May Be Too Late for Pandemic: Expert

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ROME (Reuters) - Drug companies may not be able to produce enough bird flu vaccine in time to combat a human pandemic, a top United Nations official said on Tuesday as governments scrambled to contain the deadly virus.

It could take six months to manufacture adequate vaccine stocks, and current stockpiles may be useless because the flu virus has mutated, said David Nabarro, U.N. coordinator for global readiness against an outbreak.

He said "very high priority" efforts were under way to raise manufacturing capacity so that a vaccine could be produced more quickly once a virus emerged that could cause a pandemic.

Experts say the virus is mutating steadily and there are fears that if it takes a form which spreads quickly among humans it could kill millions.

pluiepoco · 11-04-2005, 05:58 PM

SE Asia Remains Biggest Bird Flu Danger

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MANILA (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation said on Monday it was concerned that European countries facing the spread of bird flu would divert funding and attention away from Southeast Asia, the most likely epicentre of a human pandemic.

Officials in Europe are braced for an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, which has killed more than 60 people in Asia since 2003, after tests confirmed the disease in poultry in Romania and Turkey.

No human cases have been reported in Europe.

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