Hungarian researchers find H5N1 bird flu vaccine for humans (AP)

[Justin24]

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/14/060314151232.h7l1smly.html

Although the vaccine will not work on mutated forms of the H5N1.

This is a breakthrough though. Many can be saved because of this.

 

[the iron horse]

I hope this is true.

This Bird Flu could become a very serious health issue.

Do a Google search on the 1918 influensa pandemic.

 

[verte76]

This is a very positive development.

 

[melon]

It's not that big of news. We've had flu vaccines for a long time now, and H5N1 is no different. However, like you've said, it won't work on mutated forms, and it's the mutated forms that we have to worry about. Once those exist, it will take time to create viable vaccines for those strains.

Melon

 

[nbcrusader]

Isn't human infection with the virus the key to developing an effective vaccine?

 

[AliEnvy]

Isn't human infection with the virus the key to developing an effective vaccine?

Yes, but as with any seasonal flu vaccine it's a matter of always being one step behind the next mutation.

Right now people are getting bird flu from birds but not spreading it human to human which is the pandemic threat.

As long as H5N1 can be contained with this new vaccine, it is hopefully a rare step ahead of the human to human mutation.

 

[dutchfan]

well a dog had died today......of H5N1
I have a dog......


If there will be a vaccin for this flu do you think domestic pets well be vaccinated to? Or just birds and humans?

 

[Utoo]

To the general public, the bird flu should not be an issue of concern.

The key to the bird flu is the fact that it's not currently transmissible between humans. The reason is that the bird flu lacks the various components necessary for this process. In order to obtain those components, it must mutate. All strains of the flu actually mutate quite frequently. That is why a new flu vaccine must be developed every year, and that's also why the flu vaccine doesn't always work-----in order to develop it, scientists must make a very educated guess about what the upcoming year's strain will look like. However, even though the flu mutates all the time, a few rare occurrences must take place in order to have human-to-human transmission. First, a human must get infected with the bird flu from an infected animal. That human MUST be infected with a normal, human flu AT THE SAME TIME, or catch the human flu while he/she is infected with the bird flu. THEN, if that happens, the two flu viruses must swap parts---"mutate," in a sense. The exact part that allows human-to-human trasmission must combine with the exact parts that make the bird flu so deadly. Finally, IF all that occurs, then the infected person must trasmit the new, mutated version to another person.

There are a lot of "ifs." All those ifs are very possible; major outbreaks resulting from similar events have happened many times in the past. However, all of this isn't really an issue that the general public needs to worry about. It's an issue that needs to be dealt with by 1) scientists, to develop vaccines, and 2) governments, to develop plans to distribute vaccines, to quarantine, etc., should an outbreak occur. For the general public, there's nothing to do and there's no need whatsoever to worry about it. If for some reason you're seriously concerned, the best you can do is pester your local public officials to fund research & develop plans. The bird flu does not need to be on the news every other day. Your dog may very well have gone to puppy heaven well before an outbreak ever occurs, if it ever does!

 

[AliEnvy]

Gah, so much for being one step ahead.

The vaccines are developed for people not animals. So although people working in close proximity to birds will be protected from the current strain, if it is spreading to other animals, it may get more adept at mutating species to species before it can be contained.

If a human to human strain is established, then it's just a race to produce enough vaccine faster then the flu can spread.