Nature Reports Avian Flu Blog
Scientists have discovered a new needle-free way of vaccinating against flu – under the tongue! This is not only good news for needle-phobics but has wider implications for preparations against the impending pandemic. Needle immunisations require skilled professionals whereas a drop of vaccine placed under the tongue could potentially be performed by anyone.
Read more here.
Live virus vaccines better mimic the natural course of infection and so generate superior immunity to killed or inactivated virus. Yet uptake of the Live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) has been low, due to fears over the safety of the vaccine and the ability of the attenuated virus to transmit from person-to-person.
Now a review from the Mayo Clinic hopes to dispel these myths and promote wider acceptance of the vaccine. If more people were given LAIV over the inactivated virus it would give greater protection within the community, generating so-called ‘herd immunity’. With that in mind – would you go live?
Pandemic influenza is not just a threat to global health - it will undoubtedly have a huge economic impact that could also affect governance and security, according to David Nabarro, UN System Senior Coordinator for Avian and Human Influenza, speaking earlier this month at the London School of Economics.
People missing work to avoid infection will pose the biggest problem – causing reduced productivity and trade. And it’s easy to see how problems will quickly escalate with a diminished police force and reduced national security!
So we should stay at work – and increase the risk of viral transmission? It’s a mixed message...
The answer lies in effective communication – it is imperative that accurate advice and information is disseminated quickly throughout the community, and that the media avoid ‘scare-mongering’. A key element of pandemic preparedness relies on ensuring that channels of communication are in place and ready to respond quickly.
Would you listen to those messages and stay at work? I’m not sure....
Listen to the Podcast of this lecture here.