Archive for the ‘Flu Virus Sharing’ Category
H5N1 is easily transmissible between birds facilitating a potential global spread of H5N1. While H5N1 undergoes mutation and reassortment, creating variations which can infect species not previously known to carry the virus, not all of these variant forms can infect humans. H5N1 as an avian virus preferentially binds to a type of galactose receptors that populate the avian respiratory tract from the nose to the lungs and are virtually absent in humans, occurring only in and around the alveoli, structures deep in the lungs where oxygen is passed to the blood. Therefore, the virus is not easily expelled by coughing and sneezing, the usual route of transmission.[19
A relatively new A virus subtype that occurs mainly in birds, is highly contagious among them, and can be deadly to them, is the Influenza A (H5N1) virus. Also known as “H5N1 virusâ€, it has already caused an outbreak in eight Asian countries during the late 2003 and early 2004. Another outbreak was reported in June 2004, still in Asia. Infections were reported in mid-2005 in Europe and in early 2006 in Africa and the Near East.Â
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About 200 cases of human infection by influenza A (H5N1) virus were reported in almost 13 Asian countries. Usually, this virus does not infect people. Most of the reported cases of human infection have occurred from direct and close contact with infected poultry or contaminated surfaces. Out of these cases of influenza A (H5N1) virus, some occurred to have been transmitted from human-to-human.
Medicine Net explained that:
Avian influenza cannot be diagnosed by symptoms alone, so a laboratory test is required. Avian influenza is usually diagnosed by collecting a swab from the nose or throat during the first few days of illness. This swab is then sent to a laboratory, where they will either look for avian influenza virus using a molecular test, or they will try to grow the virus. Growing avian influenza viruses should only be done in laboratories with high levels of protection. If it is late in the illness, it may be difficult to find an avian influenza virus directly using these methods. If this is the case, it may still be possible to diagnose avian influenza by looking for evidence of the body’s response to the virus. This is not always an option because it requires two blood specimens (one taken during the first few days of illness and another taken some weeks later), and it can take several weeks to verify the results.
Indonesia will not share bird flu virus samples unless there is a guarantee developing nations will have control over their use and have access to cheap vaccines, a health ministry spokeswoman said on Monday.
Indonesia has held back its virus samples since August and wants guarantees from richer nations and drug-makers that poor countries get access to affordable vaccines derived from their samples.
Health officials from around the world failed to reach an agreement on a new virus sharing system at talks hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva last week.
Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari insisted on “equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of viruses” at the meeting, but not everyone agreed.
Indonesia, the country hardest hit by avian flu with 91 human deaths, wants a “material transfer agreement” (MTA) for each virus sample sent to foreign labs, that specifies the sample is used only for diagnostic purposes and not for commercial gain.
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The recently concluded Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (IGM-PIP), which tackled the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines, came to a deadlock-end.
Health officials failed to reach agreement on a new system to ensure developing countries benefit more from sharing bird flu virus samples used to develop vaccines, the World Health Organization said.
Sharing virus samples among countries is important in virus strain surveillance, as well as in vaccine development. These issues were discussed during the 3-day meeting held from November 20-23, 2007 at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
“We must have equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of viruses through a fair, transparent and equitable mechanism. It is the moral thing to do,” Health Minister Siti Fadillah Supari of Indonesia said. Indonesia has the highest death toll - 91 people - from bird flu.
Indonesia proposed that commercial use of a virus sample would require consent from the country providing it, and that the country should be given affordable access to vaccine stockpiles.
However, John Lange, U.S. special representative for avian and pandemic influenza, said that research and development of vaccines was “very risky, time-consuming and extremely expensive” and it was critical to protect patents to ensure their continued development.
News from Reuters
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