Bird flu

As the world looks anxiously at the possible impact of the bird flu virus on humans, that passage has added import anxious policy makers do not look to surgeons or hospitals to solve this problem, but to the pharmaceutical industry. 

Competition is a powerful constraint on manufacturing costs. Historically, sponsors have used contracts to purchase a fixed quantity of drugs as an incentive to build new manufacturing capacity. Examples include polio and, more recently, bird flu vaccine (Maurer 2005). Competition is also a powerful way to constrain manufacturing costs once production begins. By far the simplest strategy is for pay-as-you-go sponsors to put drug compounds in the public domain so that anyone can manufacture them. ... 

The last few decades have witnessed the spread of new viruses, most notably HIV/AIDS and, to a much lesser extent, SAKS. The prospect of a bird flu pandemic looms on the horizon. In the event of a pandemic, developed countries may possess only sufficient capacity to produce vaccines for domestic use. To ensure an adequate domestic supply, governments may restrict exports ofvaccines by private manufacturers. Restrictions on export of vaccines would in turn create shortages in other countries, particularly those without ample domestic vaccine capacity. This threat, in spite of the empirical evidence indicating that private enterprises are relatively efficient on average (Lichtenberg, Chapter 7), may justify sponsoring public enterprises for vaccine manufacturing in countries with small domestic markets. 

The present invention generally relates to colloidal silver, and more particularly to a composition of colloidal silver and a method for using said composition as an agent against organisms harmful to the health of humans—in particular avian influenza virus ( bird flu ). 

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antiviral properties of the inventive silver colloids (10 ppm and 32 ppm) against Influenza A (HINT) virus or Avian Influenza A (H3N2) virus ( bird flu ) when exposed (in suspension) for a specified exposure period(s). The protocol used is a modification of the Standard Test Method for Efficacy of Virucidal Agents Intended for Special Applications (ASTM E1052). 

Goodman, P.S. (2005) Star Rises in Fight Against Bird Flu. Demand for a Chinese Fruit Skyrockets. Washington Post Foreign Service, 18 November, p. D01. 

Star anise belongs to a family of spices with a rich history. In addition to its traditional uses, it has multiple applications in botany, chemistry, pharmacology and therapy. The spice is back in the region as an ingredient of the drug to fight bird flu. It is also the primary source of shikimic acid used to pro-... 

Anise leaves are used to treat digestive problems and to relieve toothache, and its essential oil is used to treat lice and scabies. In aromatherapy, aniseed essential oil is used to treat colds and flu. It is also being researched for the treatment of bird flu (Waumans et al., 2006). 

The following section looks at some of the chemical principles which need to be considered when searching for a cure for a particular disease or condition. SARS in 2003 and the Bird Flu in Asia in 2004 were such examples where immediate new cures were sought to avoid a pandemic. The HIV virus has an uncanny knack of changing its surface proteins to confuse the drugs used in its treatments. Research is being conducted to overcome this problem. 

Another virus, of the coronavirus type, has made headline news under the name SARS. It seems to be a disease that has crossed species boundaries, from animals to humans. This disease appears not to kill its victims directly but sets up a storm of immunochemicals in the body called cytokines. These are inflammatory materials and can be more deadly than the virus itself in large quantities. Influenza and pneumonia use the same technique.20 The bird flu of 1997 and 2004 seems to have crossed the animal-human species barrier and has created an urgent need for research into counteracting this problem. 

Richards, E. (2005). Bird flu and the law [forum]. Jurist. Retrieved July 20, 2006, from http //jurist.law.pitt.edu/forumy/ 2005/12/bird-flu-and-law.php... 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006a). Avian influenza Current situation. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http //www.cdc.gOv/flu/avian/outbreaks/current.htm animals Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006b). Key facts about avian influenza (bird flu) and avian influenza A (H5N1) virus. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http //www.cdc. gov/flu/avian/gen-info/facts.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006c). Key facts about pandemic influenza. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http //www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic/keyfacts.htm Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2006d). Multistate outbreak of mumps—United States, January 1-May 2, 2006. Morbidity Mortality Weekly Report. Retrieved March 27, 2007 from http //www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ mm5520a4.htm... 

There has been much recent anxious speculation that the bird flu virus will mutate to a form that will spread from person to person. A worldwide influenza epidemic, at worst comparable to that which followed the Great War, could well be the net result of such an event. The efficacy of the first carbocychc neuraminidase inhibitor, oseltamivir (34), known famiharly... 

Recent studies showed that AA, EPA, and DHA could give rise to anti-inflammatory compounds such as hpoxins (LXs) and resolvins that are essential to limit and resolve inflammation (3, 4). These studies imply that a deficiency of LXs and resolvins could lead to the perpetuation of inflammation and tissue damage. In the fight of these facts, it will be interesting to study whether a subclinical deficiency of PUFAs, decreased formation of LXs and resolvins, occurs in subjects who develop the various types of infections and their complications. Because, PUFAs can inactivate enveloped viruses including influenza, it is probably worthwhile to study the effect of various fatty acids on the bird flu virus, specifically, whether increased intake of these fatty acids could reduce the risk of flu. 

Let us review. Escape from restriction is the commonest causes of epidemics by really new epidemics encountered so far in prehistorical and historical time. It might typically involve a mutation which, for example, overrides the immune system of a new host or permits entry into the cell of the new host. There are some 60 well-known zoonotic examples, if not exactly running from A to Z, certainly from Acinetobacter pneumonia to Yersiniosis that infect humans. The Z disease if it comes, may be aptly named the analogous Greek letter omega has been used in many science fiction stories for the ultimate bacterial or viral disease The Omega Man was a film in which Charlton Heston played the last uninfected man on Earth. Recent real-life examples include the recent outbreak in Toronto of bird flu (from Asian water birds), SARS (from the civet, etc.), anthrax (sheep), ebola (from rodents), and acquired CJD (sheep, mad cow). 

Pandemic spread would presumably bring about 60-80 million deaths worldwide. According to US Homeland Security Council s estimates, 90 million people could be infected in the US alone in case a bird flu pandemic breaks out, of which 45 million will require medical care, 10 million will require hospital admission and 2 million people could die [25]. 

A British government report warns that The health service will be plunged into chaos if Britain is struck by a bird flu pandemic. Faced with a possible 4.5 million victims, demand for hospital beds would outstrip supply and doctors might have to deny treatment to the sick and elderly to save younger, fitter patients [26]. 

NHS meltdown predicted by Government bird flu report, UK Telegraph, Aug. 28, 2006. 

Johnson NP, Mueller J. Updating the accounts global mortality of the 1918-1920 Spanish influenza pandemic. Bull Hist Med 2002 76 105-115. WHO. Avian influenza ( bird flu )— Fact sheet 2006. 

---