IS IT TREATABLE?
Now that you have an idea of how avian influenza works, it is time to answer the big question: Is avian influenza treatable or preventable?
Fortunately, the answer is yes, avian influenza can be treated and possibly prevented. Currently, four medicines can treat avian influenza successfully. These medicines are divided into two groups: the adamantane derivatives and the neuraminidase inhibitors.
Adamantane Derivatives
There are two antiviral drugs in this group: amantadine and its close relative rimantadine, which are manufactured by several drug companies. The exact way the drug works is not fully understood, but we do know that amantadine and rimantadine inhibit the activity of the M2 protein. As you know, the M2 protein plays a crucial role in the initiation phase of replication, and disabling it would prevent viral replication. Both drugs have been noted for their side effects, which include nervousness, anxiety, and lightheadedness. However, recent tests show that flu viruses resistant to the drugs are likely to appear in a third of all patients.
Neuramindase Inhibitors
Glaxo Wellcome's zanamivir (Relenza) and Hoffman-Roche's oseltamivir (Tamiflu) belong in this category. The drugs work by blocking active spots of neuraminidase, preventing new particles from being released and inhibiting the possibility of infection, hence its name. Because it requires an inhaler, zanamivir is not as popular as oseltamivir, which is taken in pill form. While zanamivir and oseltamivir have fewer side effects than the adamantane derivatives, they are more generally more expensive.
Is there a vaccine?
There is no vaccine that can effectively combat H5N1 in the case of a pandemic. Normally, a flu vaccine is harvested in fertilized chicken eggs, which are then killed and split. When scientists tried to make an H5N1 vaccine, they found that the virus killed the eggs. Leading flu researcher Robert Webster and a team of scientists used genetic engineering to solve this problem. They altered various genes in order to 'tame' the virus and accelerate its growth. This method worked, and early tests of this vaccine have shown potential.