H5N1 Virus: Avian Flue Is a Genuine Terror

As a child, my biggest fear was a nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. It dominated my nighttime thoughts through my teen years. AIDS never frightened me the way it did some people; I wasn't promiscuous. Terrorism, through the very definition of the word should frighten me, but it doesn't. I don't consider Northeast Indiana much of a target, but recently a fear has started consuming my nighttime thoughts again. 

H5N1. This is an influenza virus. An extremely vicious virus. We have no vaccines against it. While most flues attack your upper respiratory system causing runny noses, sore throats, etc., the H5N1 virus goes right after the lungs and immediately causes severe pneumonia. Although currently confined to Asia, the virus kills 55% of those who become infected.

The way things stand right now, humans can only be infected by birds who also have the virus, but scientists are saying it is just a matter of time before it becomes a human to human contagion   Once this event transpires, the virus will become a swiftly moving killer.  More than likely, it will be the first pandemic of the 21st Century.

Although we have no immunity and there are no vaccines, there is a medicine that can treat it.  The drug is called Tamiflu and is manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals.  However, there is a shortage of the drug caused by its demand once the effectiveness against H5N1 was discovered.  There are currently only two-million courses of the drug available in the United States . . .  a tenth of the amount doctors believe would be needed if an outbreak occurred right now.

Other countries are in slightly better shape than the United States.  Australia has 3.5 million courses and the UK has enough to cover a quarter of the population.  So what can we do if the virus strikes?  Our best course of defense, outside additional stockpiles of Tamiflu  is self-imposed quarantines.  A stockpile of food, other necessities and the ability to avoid all human contact until the virus runs its  course would be the best option.  This is, after all, the way millions of Americans avoided dying during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918.

Scientists are saying our major cities would look like something out of science fiction films.  Almost no one on the streets.  The subways would be empty.  Cars would be scarce.  Hospitals would be quarantined and, much like New Orleans Super Dome, large stadiums and hotels would become makeshift influenza clinics.  Everywhere you look, people will be wearing surgical masks.

And the part that scares me more than anything else?  Our children would be among the largest number of victims.  This is something I could not bear to live through.

For more information on this real life terror, visit Wikipedia.