Avian influenza H5N1, vaccines

Examples of killed or inactivated vaccines are cholera vaccine containing dead strains of Vibrio cholerae, hepatitis A vaccine with inactivated hepatitis A virus, pertussis vaccine with killed strains of Bordetella pertussis, typhoid vaccine with killed Salmonella typhi, and influenza vaccine with various strains of inactivated influenza viruses (see Exhibit 4.2 for a discussion of influenza viruses and vaccines and Exhibit 4.3 on avian influenza H5N1). 

Cinatl J Jr, Michaelis M, Doerr HW (2007b) The threat of avian influenza A (H5N1). IV. Development of vaccines. Med Microbiol Immunol 196 213-225 Colman PM (1994) Influenza virus neuraminidase structure, antibodies, and inhibitors. Protein Sd 3 1687-1696... 

Therapies for typical human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans however, influenza viruses can become resistant to drugs such as amantadine and rimantadine, decreasing their effectiveness. Currently no vaccine is available to protect humans against the H5N1 virus that causes... 

In 1997, an avian influenza A7Hongkong/97 (H5N1) virus emerged as a pandemic threat. A non-pathogenic variant influenza A/duck/Singapore/97 (H5N3) was identified as a leading vaccine candidate,... 

Ethicists, for their part, debate questions about who should get vaccine in times of limited supplies. Avian influenza may or may not be the next pandemic. The big question is whether ease of transmission from human to human will increase. If the disease begins to spread, timely use of drugs and quarantine may stop a pandemic before it starts. One point is clear, though. Sooner or later, another pandemic will come, whether the cause is avian influenza of the H5N1 variety or something else. 

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