Swine Flu!!

[HOTwHEELZ]

R.I.P xx whoever you are??

Does anyone know wot Glasgow Hospital, this swine flu victim died??

[hc4361]

Royal Alexandra, Paisley.

[jno]

http://news.scotsman.com/health/Scots-patient- is--first.5364879.jp

[rov1200]

Just as an interest point why are we producing 80 million packets of Tamiflu. These do not kill the virus but used for treating the symptons after you have caught it. But under way is a new vaccine that will stop you getting Swine flu in its tracks and this will be available in about 3 months.

[jake-the-peg]

A vaccine for seasonal flu is produced every year.

Hasn't stopped that in it's tracks has it?

[rov1200]

Jake a vaccine for swine flu is underway. They know the makeup of this particular virus so they can produce antbodies for it.

[sqad617]

rov........providing it doesn't change it'e antigenic structure, as these repiratory viruses ofen do.

[rov1200]

squad617 I agree with that. The virus may not stand still but if it does mutate into something more deadly then expect millions of more deaths, vaccines or Tamilflu will be useless.

[sqad617]

rov......exactly.

[jake-the-peg]

This is the point I was making. Perhaps I should have been more explicit.

Flu mutates faster than almost anything else apart from AIDS.

Relying only on an Vaccine "in the works" would be incredibly dumb.

Apart from anything else vaccines are no magic bullet - we have had vaccines for diseases like Mumps for years but they are far from erradicated.

Remember too that Tamiflu and Relenza are generic anti-virus agents..

If something like the bird flu cross-over were to happen or even another unaticipated pandemic these would be very very handy to have.

[Schutzengel]

Re: Your original question. The young lady who died was 38yrs old, and had just given birth to a premature baby. Thank God the baby is clear of the virus, but she has other children (2, I think). As you say, may she rest in peace, and deepest sympathy to her family.

[Kathyan]

They say she had underlying health problems and that it wasn't swine flu that she died from. As always the media reporting is biased to cause panic.

[LazyGun]

Rov, just for clarity.

Tamiflu - neuraminidase inhibitor - can prevent influenza A or B infection in those uninfected, can mediate the effects/symptoms of a flu infection, and can aid in preventing the spread of infection.

Tamiflu is a generic anti viral medicine.Its main purpose is both mediating the symptoms/effects, thus indirectly reducing any severe or even life threatening events, and retarding the spread of a virus throughout the population.

A vaccine is NOT antibodies to the virus - its is ( in this case at least ) components of the virus itself, diluted and attenuated.

When injected into the body,it stimulates that persons immune system to produce antibodies to those specific components, and hence the relevant flu strain.
There are problems however - we still do not know how well the components will thrive in eggs ( which is how the virus particles that will comprise the vaccine is multiplied), so we still dont know what sort of yield and hence quantity of vaccine we will get.
Neither do we know as yet how many injections will be required to induce the immune response - It most probably will be one, but it could require 2 shots.
And finally, as others have already commented, it is possible the strain will mutate, and so the components selected may not be so specific.
So, it is very optimistic to say that the vaccine will be ready in 3 months.
That is another very good reason for Tamiflu - to slow the spread of the infection down whilst the appropriate vaccine is completed.

Finally, the other reason we were so well stockpiled with Tamiflu was not specifically because of the swine flu pandemic, but in response to previous and potentially far more deadly scares, such as SARS and bird flu.

[rov1200]

Tamiflu has been given to sufferers and maybe their immediate contacts but the virus has continued to spread. Therefore to stop a full blown epidemic it needs to be administered to those not having the disease and of course the whole population.

The virus has not yet mutated even though it started in Mexico and is now prevalent throughout the world. If vaccines were that unreliable the yearly flu jab would not take place.

The only solution therefore is to keep tabs on the virus structure, produce enough vaccine and get the population especially the caring professions done as soon as possible.

[daffy654]

The premature baby born to this poor woman has now died.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_an d_west/8101997.stm