Bird Flu Treatment and Prevention

At this time, there is no efficient treatment for bird flu. The best product which are currently available on the market is Tamiflu by Roche, and this medication is capable of stopping the disease from spreading to other parts of the body. Because of the importance of this drug, a large number of governments and organizations are using it as a potential weapons against an outbreak. Tamiflu is also known as oseltamivir, and it is an antiviral drug.

Tamiflu was specifically designed to combat both influenza B virus and influenza A virus. The goal of this medicine is to stop viruses from appearing within cells which are infected. It is the first drug which can be taken orally. It was created by Gilead Sciences and can only be purchased via a prescription. Because of the widespread coverage that has been made by the media regarding bird flu, Tamiflu has become well known. The amount of the medicine being produced is limited, and a number of governments and private parties have purchased the drug in large amounts.

About 75mg of Tamiflu must be taken twice a day, and this must be done for five days. Many experts at the World Health Organization have questioned the effectiveness of the drug. Work will not begin on designing a new vaccine until another virus has appeared. It would take nearly half a year to develop the vaccine, and if an outbreak occurs, a large amount of damage could be done. Roche, the company who markets Tamiflu, has been called a monopoly by many experts. While there are a number of vaccines which have been created to fight bird flu, the ongoing mutations of the virus only make them effective for a short period of time.

The best bird flu vaccine is one which can protect people against all future strains of the disease. However, this would require scientists to determine how the flu would mutate. Because there is no pandemic of the virus, it has been argued that there are no vaccines currently available which can handle a pandemic. Companies which are producing vaccines have been pushed into building more facilities which are prepared in the event of a pandemic. Another drug which may be capable of combating H5N1 is Relenza. This drug is similar to Tamiflu, and in additon to H5N1, it is capable of fighting against H6N1 and H9N2.

It should also be noted that if H5N1 mutates into a disease which can easily be transmitted between humans, there may not be large enough quantities of Relenza or Tamiflu to stop it from killing large numbers of people. Because of this, scientists are seeking to contain the disease as well as develop vaccines which can be used to treat it. Roche has developed a large storehouse of drugs, and large amounts have been shipped to developed as well as developing countries by the World Health Organization. Measures must be taken as soon as possible to stop the potential outbreak of the flu. Having a sufficient amount of drugs on hand will prevent many deaths.