Avian Flu: Contagious
How countries prepare for health epidemics
What would happen if avian flu infected a major city? This 2005 investigation into the avian flu outbreak shows that even well prepared countries lack the means to deal with a major outbreak of a new virus.
Just over a century ago the Spanish Flu killed up to 50 million people. The threat of avian influenza has loomed large ever since. "This virus could strike at our community, destroy our societies as we know them", says virologist Prof. John Oxford. The only effective drugs are antivirals like Tamiflu, which can be taken both to prevent and treat the virus. The Australian government has reserved 90% of its stockpile for prevention but scientists think more should be set aside for treatment. "It takes ten times as many antivirals to be used preventatively because you have to take them for so long", says Prof. Graeme Laver. With treatment reserved for 'essential health workers', there's also concern that drug allocation will become a major political issue.
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