Bird Flu May Be A Threat To People
Government officials are preparing for the possibility that bird flu from Asia will someday transform into a worldwide human threat.
The Early Show medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports that health officials have been tracking and trying to control the spread of a new form of bird flu known as h5n1 since 2003. Some are concerned that when it infects humans, this bird flu could develop into a potent new human strain for which we have no immunity.
Although there is no immediate danger, health officials are preparing for the chance that the new bird flu could eventually become a more serious threat. The Asian bird flu has also infected humans — killing about 65 — who come in contact with infected birds.
The big fear is that the virus could mutate into a form that spreads easily from person to person with the potential to cause a pandemic or worldwide outbreak. Lack of immunity could make it harder to fight and much more virulent than the flu we're used to. A similar influenza strain in 1918 killed millions of people around the world.
The yearly flu shot, currently available, does not protect against bird flu but production of a new experimental vaccine for bird flu is getting underway. The government has ordered $100 million worth of the experimental vaccine.
Preliminary results suggest the vaccine creates immunity strong enough to protect against known strains of bird flu. It isn't clear yet how many shots will be available. There are also plans to stockpile medications used to treat the flu. President Bush said Tuesday that in the event of a pandemic flu, parts of the country where the virus breaks out might be quarantined by the military. The president also said he has been urging world leaders to improve reporting on outbreaks of the virus. Quickly identifying where the flu begins is a key to taking steps to prevent its spread.
Currently, there are a number of drugs that target the flu virus that can help shorten the severity and duration of flu by a day or so, if they are administered quickly. The older generation of drugs are Amantadine and Rimantadine. Unfortunately, recent studies have shown these drugs are losing their effectiveness over time, as flu strains become more resistant to them. So the drugs will probably no longer be effective for treatment or as a preventive measure in an outbreak of a new strain of flu.
Luckily, newer drugs such as Tamiflu and Relenza are still effective. These drugs can also reduce complications like sinusitis and bronchitis. There are currently plans to stockpile 20 million doses of anti-flu medication. The government says it has purchased enough Relenza to treat more than 84,000 people and enough Tamiflu to treat 4.3 million people.