Archive for March, 2008
Influenza has become a common illness among humans that its occurrence is no longer a threat. However, viruses have the ability to mutate, some becoming more dangerous. Today’s population may not believe it, but looking at history, flu outbreaks have actually taken more lives than you could have imagined. Check this out:
1918 to 1919 Spanish flu pandemic, also remembered as the Black Death or the plague.
Exact numbers for this pandemic are hard to establish, and different sources offer different numbers, but in the same general range. Estimates suggest that between 20% and 50% of the entire world’s population was infected, and as many as 50 million people died.
It was noted that most at risk of the disease were the healthy group aged 15 to 40. Normally, that age group are more resistant to viral infections. Since the virus is air borne, human to human transfer happened fast and easy, that in some areas, people wore masks and even hand shaking was banned.
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image: www.health.gov.ab.ca
The die-off of more than 6,000 migratory birds in Quinghai Lake in central China in April 2005 was unusual, and alarming. Virus samples from the birds in Quinghai Lake and other countries that acquired the avian flu were almost identical, and these countries were along the route of the migratory birds from China. Although it is yet to be scientifically confirmed, prevention and preparation should be made to ensure safety.
Governments have issued guidelines in reporting suspected bird flu infection, and the monitoring of transportation and entry of infected birds and equipment. If detected, there are guidelines on how to contain and control the contaminated area, which includes how to dispose of dead, infected birds and safety measures for the workers handling such tasks.
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A new vaccine is being developed that may give protection against pathogenic bird flu, H5N1 and its mutations. Researchers at Purdue University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tested the new vaccine in mice, which gave a year-long protection against H5N1. Whether the same results will show in humans is yet to be proven.
The scientists are developing vaccines that can be stored in advance, can provide protection for a certain period until a matching vaccine can be developed for new variations of the bird flu. This vaccine is not produced by using eggs, which is the traditional method of producing flu vaccines. It uses an adjuvant so only lower doses are needed. The vaccine can also be stockpiled, making it available to more people.
More details of this exciting development, here.
In a series of European and global initiatives, genetic modification (GM) and RNA interference are being deployed for the improvement of farm animal health. A recent workshop organized by the European Science Foundation (ESF) highlighted various themes on livestock disease research, epidemics and pandemics and GM technologies and the negative perception of the public.
GM provides resistance to diseases which will benefit animal and human health. However, this technology was deployed too soon which benefited interested parties, excluding the consumers. Ethical issues have to be addressed, and public confidence has to be restored. Various GM technologies have been developed for livestock, and RNA interference focuses more on preventing animals from contracting viruses such as bird flu.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations have programmes to ensure food and agriculture safety in member countries, one of which is the Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases or EMPRES.
Their aim is to protect livestock against diseases, and preventing the spread of diseases if it exists. It provides information, training and emergency assistance to countries that are facing the challenges of an outbreak, like the avian flu. EMPRES aims to prevent the spread of diseases by identifying the source and solving the problem from its roots. The core principles of EMPRES are: Early warning, Early detection, Early reaction, Enabling research, Coordination, and Communication.