Is there a vaccine for bird flu?

Answer 1

Studies done in laboratories suggest that the prescription medicines approved for human influenza viruses should work in treating avian influenza infection in humans. However, influenza viruses can become resistant to these drugs, so these medications may not always work. Additional studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of these medicines.

Answer 2

Currently there is no cure for the bird flu (H5N1), but the symptoms are treated. There has been a vaccine developed for the US, but it is stockpiled by the government in case there is a pandemic, so it is not available as a preventive vaccine yet.

Answer 3

Yes, it is another name for influenza virus, Type A H5N1 also known as Avian Flu. It is an extremely virulent influenza virus that can infect birds, occasionally pigs, very rarely humans and some rare infections in other animals. Fortunately it does not spread very easily and no human to human transmissions have been known to occur. It does, however, have a very high mortality rate in animals and in humans (50% Death Rate in humans).

Answer 4

There is one vaccine that has been produced for avian flu strain H5N1, but it is not available commercially to the public. There is no vaccine for the newest strain of bird flu known to have infected humans, H7N9 identified in late March 2013 in China, that had never before infected humans. It has been confirmed as the strain that killed two men in Shanghai and that is the virus that infected the woman in China currently in critical condition. They did not infect each other or any close contacts.

World epidemiologists and vaccine developers are investigating and are in discussions now through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US.

The current incidence of Avian (Bird) Flu (Type A H5N1 Influenza) in humans is very low and it is not easily spread from human to human. However, it is an especially deadly form of flu and so the US Government has ordered a stockpile of this vaccine to have available if a pandemic of this strain of influenza ever does emerge.

The information about Bird Flu vaccines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is:

On April 17, 2007, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced its approval of the first vaccine to prevent human infection with one strain of the avian influenza (bird flu) H5N1 virus. The vaccine, produced by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc., has been purchased by the federal government for the U.S. Strategic National Stockpile; it will be distributed by public-health officials if needed. This vaccine will not be made commercially available to the general public. Other H5N1 vaccines are being developed by other companies against different H5N1 strains. For more information about the Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. vaccine, see FDA Approves First U.S. Vaccine for Humans Against the Avian Influenza Virus H5N1 [link below]. For information about other H5N1 and pandemic flu vaccine research activities visit Vaccine Research [link below].

The H5N1 vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 17, 2007, was developed as a safeguard against the possible emergence of an H5N1 pandemic virus. However, the H5N1 virus is not a pandemic virus because it does not transmit efficiently from person to person, so the H5N1 vaccine is being held in stockpiles rather than being used by the general public. This vaccine aids H5N1 preparedness efforts in case an H5N1 pandemic virus were to emerge.

Answer 5

In general, treatment with the antiviral medication oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza) may make the disease less severe and shorten the duration-- if you start taking the medicine within 48 hours after your symptoms start.

Otherwise, since different types of avian flu viruses may cause different symptoms, treatment may vary according to your symptoms. There are many over-the-counter medications and treatments that can be used to treat your specific symptoms just like for the regular seasonal flu. The symptoms of bird flu are similar to the symptoms of other types of influenza, with the addition of eye irritation or conjunctivitis (pink eye) in some people with avian flu. If you need help finding the best choices for your needs, speak to the pharmacist at the drug store for recommendations.

Answer 6

Yes.

Update June 20, 2013:

The CDC has issued the following media advisory:

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted today, 13 to 0, in favor of recommending FluBlokduring the 2013-2014 influenza seasons for vaccination of persons 18 through 49 years of age with egg allergy of any severity. FluBlok was licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in January 2013. Unlike current production methods for other available seasonal influenza vaccines, FluBlok does not use the influenza virus or chicken eggs in its manufacturing process.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Flu vaccines have been around for decades, successfully preventing the flu, with very few untoward side effects.

For the 2012-2013 flu season in the US:

This year's trivalent seasonal flu vaccines will protect against the following three strains of influenza:

• Type A/California/7/2009 (H1N1) ~ the "Swine Flu vaccine",

• Type A/Victoria/361/2011 (H3N2), and

• Type B/Wisconsin/1/2010.

There is also a new vaccine in the 2012-2013 flu season that is FluMist Quadrivalent. This new vaccine includes two Type B strains of flu instead of one. It contains B strains from both the B/Yamagata/16/88 and the B/Victoria/2/87 lineages in addition to the same strains of the Type A viruses (H1N1 and H3N2) that are included in the trivalent vaccines for this season. See the related questions below for more info.

For the 2012-2013 Flu season in the US, the following vaccines for influenza are approved for use:

• AFLURIA Trivalent made by CSL/Merck
• AGRIFLU made by Novartis
• FLUARIX Trivalent made by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
• FLUMIST made by MedImmune Vaccines, Inc.
• FLUMIST QUADRAVALENT made by MedImmune Vaccines, Inc.
• FLULAVAL Trivalent made by ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec

• FLUVIRIN Trivalent made by Novartis
• FLUZONE made by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.
• FLUZONE - High Dose made by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.
• FLUZONE-Intradermal made by Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.

For the 2011-2012 flu season in the US, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of six vaccines on July 18, 2011. These approved trivalent vaccines for the seasonal flu will all contain vaccine for the H1N1/09 "Swine Flu" and two other viruses suggested by CDC for this season (see more below). These approved vaccines are:

1. Afluria (CSL Limited)

2. Fluarix (Glaxo Smith Kline Biologicals)

3. FluLaval (ID Biomedical Corporation)

4. FluMist (MedImmune Vaccines, Inc.)

5. Fluvirin (Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics Limited)

6. Fluzone, Fluzone High-Dose, Fluzone Intradermal (Sanofi Pasteur, Inc.)

The Fluzone Intradermal is a new formulation for administration in the layers of the skin (intradermal injection) instead of the intramuscular (IM) injection. Fluzone Intradermal administration uses a microinjection system with a very fine needle. Approved for those aged 18 through 64.

The CDC-approved trivalent vaccines for this 2011-2012 flu season will protect against the following three virus strains:

1. A/California/7/09 (H1N1)-like virus (Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza virus)

2. A/Perth/16/2009/ (H3N2)-like virus

3. B/Brisbane/60/2008-like virus

Answer 7

nope..... who was the kid who told you this