1) In 2005-2006 there was widespread fear that the H5N1 avian influenza virus would mutate to allow human-to-human transmission and cause a global pandemic. 2) While the virus killed over 100 million birds in Vietnam and over 50% of the 117 humans infected there, it did not achieve human-to-human transmission. 3) Countries took precautions like culling domestic birds, spraying disinfectants, stockpiling antiviral drugs and developing vaccines in case the virus mutated as feared.

1. Avian Flu Scare 2005-2006

2. Scientific Information Avian influenza, or “bird flu,” normally spreads only from bird to bird It spreads quickly in domesticated birds and is usually fatal The virus can mutate to spread from birds to humans, a strain called H5N1 The fear in 2005 was that this strain would mutate again to spread from human to human

3. Diagram of H5N1

4. Other Facts The virus can be present in wild birds for a long time without making them sick Virus cannot be transmitted through the handling of properly cooked birds and eggs

5. In Vietnam Over the course of 2 years in Vietnam, the H5N1 strain of flu killed 140 million birds It also infected 117 people, fatal to more than half of them Most of the people who were infected had been in close contact with an infected bird for an extended period of time Did not spread from person to person

6. In Romania In late 2005, there was an outbreak of avian flu (bird to bird) in Romania Medical teams began rounding up domestic birds and killing them in order to prevent the spread of the flu They also sprayed disinfectant

7. In Asia The H5N1 strain of the flu (bird to human) had been spreading in Asia since 1997 H5N1 broke out in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey The disease began spreading through migrating birds

8. Global Fear The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that if the virus mutated to spread from human to human, it could cause a global pandemic and kill 2 to 7 million people In addition to the H5N1 strain, other strains of bird flu were mutating and researchers feared human to human infection was inevitable

9. US Fear and Preparation US feared that the deadly flu would spread to America The US Senate approved a plan to spend $4 billion in preparation for a pandemic

10. Vaccination A vaccine was developed to be produced on a large scale It was tested on 450 volunteers with promising results The US paid a French company, Sanofi Pasteur, to get 20 million vaccines

11. Antiviral Drugs An antiviral drug, Tamiflu, seemed to be a good defense for after people contracted the flu As it was only tested on animals, no one could be certain of the results The US had planned to have 12.3 million doses ready, but they needed 20 million doses However, to reach demand, the Swiss company Roche, may have needed until 2008 to make enough of the drug

12. Preparation in Homes The US government began recommending that people have extra supplies at home in case of a pandemic This included extra food and water as well as medications

13. Outcome Thankfully, the virus did not mutate to spread from human to human The bird flu did not come to the US In America, there is currently a ban on the importation of birds and bird products (ex: eggs) from countries affected by H5N1

14. Future Threat? The US CDC (Center for Disease Control) is currently working with the WHO to develop another vaccine Although the virus does not usually spread from person to person, scientists and researchers are still concerned that the virus could mutate to do so

15. Importance The fear of this disease swept the nation and caused months of worrying Although the flu did not cause a pandemic, it was the first time in modern day history that a virus caused so much concern in America

16. The End