The Threat of Pandemic Influenza

The Threat of Pandemic Influenza
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 431
Release: 2005-04-09
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309095042

Public health officials and organizations around the world remain on high alert because of increasing concerns about the prospect of an influenza pandemic, which many experts believe to be inevitable. Moreover, recent problems with the availability and strain-specificity of vaccine for annual flu epidemics in some countries and the rise of pandemic strains of avian flu in disparate geographic regions have alarmed experts about the world's ability to prevent or contain a human pandemic. The workshop summary, The Threat of Pandemic Influenza: Are We Ready? addresses these urgent concerns. The report describes what steps the United States and other countries have taken thus far to prepare for the next outbreak of "killer flu." It also looks at gaps in readiness, including hospitals' inability to absorb a surge of patients and many nations' incapacity to monitor and detect flu outbreaks. The report points to the need for international agreements to share flu vaccine and antiviral stockpiles to ensure that the 88 percent of nations that cannot manufacture or stockpile these products have access to them. It chronicles the toll of the H5N1 strain of avian flu currently circulating among poultry in many parts of Asia, which now accounts for the culling of millions of birds and the death of at least 50 persons. And it compares the costs of preparations with the costs of illness and death that could arise during an outbreak.

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response

Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response
Author: World Health Organization
Publisher: World Health Organization
Total Pages: 62
Release: 2009
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9241547685

This guidance is an update of WHO global influenza preparedness plan: the role of WHO and recommendations for national measures before and during pandemics, published March 2005 (WHO/CDS/CSR/GIP/2005.5).

The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic

The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 440
Release: 2010-07-04
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309146771

In March and early April 2009, a new, swine-origin 2009-H1N1 influenza A virus emerged in Mexico and the United States. During the first few weeks of surveillance, the virus spread by human-to-human transmission worldwide to over 30 countries. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. By October 30, 2009, the H1N1 influenza A had spread to 191 countries and resulted in 5,700 fatalities. A national emergency was declared in the United States and the swine flu joined SARS and the avian flu as pandemics of the 21st century. Vaccination is currently available, but in limited supply, and with a 60 percent effectiveness rate against the virus. The story of how this new influenza virus spread out of Mexico to other parts of North America and then on to Europe, the Far East, and now Australia and the Pacific Rim countries has its origins in the global interconnectedness of travel, trade, and tourism. Given the rapid spread of the virus, the international scientific, public health, security, and policy communities had to mobilize quickly to characterize this unique virus and address its potential effects. The World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control have played critical roles in the surveillance, detection and responses to the H1N1 virus. The Domestic and International Impacts of the 2009-H1N1 Influenza A Pandemic: Global Challenges, Global Solutions aimed to examine the evolutionary origins of the H1N1 virus and evaluate its potential public health and socioeconomic consequences, while monitoring and mitigating the impact of a fast-moving pandemic. The rapporteurs for this workshop reported on the need for increased and geographically robust global influenza vaccine production capacities; enhanced and sustained interpandemic demand for seasonal influenza vaccines; clear "triggers" for pandemic alert levels; and accelerated research collaboration on new vaccine manufacturing techniques. This book will be an essential guide for healthcare professionals, policymakers, drug manufacturers and investigators.

Manual of Childhood Infections

Manual of Childhood Infections
Author: Mike Sharland
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 913
Release: 2011-04-07
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0199573581

This manual gives information on the causative organisms, epidemiology and clinical features of all important childhood infections. It includes guidance on the clinical management of the infections and on steps to be taken to prevent future cases.

Flu

Flu
Author: Gina Kolata
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1429979356

Veteran journalist Gina Kolata's Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It presents a fascinating look at true story of the world's deadliest disease. In 1918, the Great Flu Epidemic felled the young and healthy virtually overnight. An estimated forty million people died as the epidemic raged. Children were left orphaned and families were devastated. As many American soldiers were killed by the 1918 flu as were killed in battle during World War I. And no area of the globe was safe. Eskimos living in remote outposts in the frozen tundra were sickened and killed by the flu in such numbers that entire villages were wiped out. Scientists have recently rediscovered shards of the flu virus frozen in Alaska and preserved in scraps of tissue in a government warehouse. Gina Kolata, an acclaimed reporter for The New York Times, unravels the mystery of this lethal virus with the high drama of a great adventure story. Delving into the history of the flu and previous epidemics, detailing the science and the latest understanding of this mortal disease, Kolata addresses the prospects for a great epidemic recurring, and, most important, what can be done to prevent it.

Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development

Antiviral Drug Discovery and Development
Author: Xinyong Liu
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 357
Release: 2021-07-13
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9811602670

This book summarizes state-of-the-art antiviral drug design and discovery approaches starting from natural products to de novo design, and provides a timely update on recently approved antiviral drugs and compounds in advanced clinical development. Special attention is paid to viral infections with a high impact on the world population or highly relevant from the public health perspective (HIV, hepatitis C, influenza virus, etc.). In these chapters, limitations associated with adverse effects and emergence of drug resistance are discussed in detail. In addition to classical antiviral strategies, chapters will be dedicated to discuss the non-classical drug development strategies to block viral infection, for instance, allosteric inhibitors, covalent antiviral agents, or antiviral compounds targeting protein–protein interactions. Finally, current prospects for producing broad-spectrum antiviral inhibitors will be also addressed. The book is distinctive in providing the most recent update in the rapidly evolving field of antiviral therapeutics. Authoritative reviews are written by international scientists well known for their contributions in their topics of research, which makes this book suitable for researchers not only within the antiviral research community but also attractive to a broad audience in the drug discovery field. This book covers molecular structures and biochemical mechanisms mediating the antiviral effects, while discussing various ligand design strategies, which include traditional medicinal chemistry, computational chemistry, and chemical biology approaches. The book provides a comprehensive review of antiviral drug discovery and development approaches, particularly focusing on current innovations and future trends.

Textbook of Influenza

Textbook of Influenza
Author: Robert G. Webster
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 684
Release: 2014-01-06
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 111863683X

The Textbook of Influenza is a comprehensive resource covering all aspects of influenza, from the genetic and molecular biology of the virus through to clinical aspects of the disease and the latest drug developments and treatments. This new edition has been completely revised and reflects the integration of disciplines concerning the emergence, evolution, pathogenesis and control of influenza viruses in the field of human and veterinary public health. Textbook of Influenza examines the lessons learnt from the latest pandemic and provides the current state of knowledge for many yet unresolved issues related to virus origin, spread, pathogenesis and disease severity to better prepare for future pandemics. It covers the background to recent advances in influenza genomics and reverse genetics which have allowed the identification of virus virulence factors and the analysis and reconstruction of influenza viruses such as the 1918 Spanish flu strain. This new edition is divided into eight key sections, containing chapters co-written by international experts from both the clinical and scientific communities, covering: • Influenza Perspectives • Structure and Replication • Evolution and Ecology • Epidemiology and Surveillance • Immunology • Vaccines and Vaccine Development • Clinical Aspects and Antivirals • Public Health Textbook of Influenza is for all those working in the area of influenza including clinical and basic scientists, immunologists, molecular and structural virologists, public health officials and global pandemic control planners.

Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks

Exploring Lessons Learned from a Century of Outbreaks
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2019-07-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309490324

In November 2018, an ad hoc planning committee at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planned two sister workshops held in Washington, DC, to examine the lessons from influenza pandemics and other major outbreaks, understand the extent to which the lessons have been learned, and discuss how they could be applied further to ensure that countries are sufficiently ready for future pandemics. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from both workshops.

Red Book

Red Book
Author: Larry K. Pickering
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781581107036

Developed by the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) Committee on Infectious Diseases in conjunction with the CDC (Centers for disease control), the FDA (Food and drug administration), and other leading institutions with contributions from hundreds of physicians nationwide, the newly revised and updated 2012 Red Book continues the tradition of excellence with the latest findings and clinical recommendations on the manifestations, etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of more than 200 childhood conditions. [Ed.].

Viral Sovereignty and Technology Transfer

Viral Sovereignty and Technology Transfer
Author: Sam F. Halabi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 237
Release: 2020-06-11
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108484727

Sharing biological resources-critical for new medicines and vaccines-has declined as countries and scientists dispute rights over research.