2.3.1 Is there a vaccine against avian flu?
There is currently no vaccine capable of protecting humans from infection with avian flu. However, the World Health Organization has made available several candidate virus strains for use by vaccine manufacturers and institutions to produce a vaccine against A/H5N1, should this be required.
The UK's National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) is one of several organisations worldwide participating in the development of an H5N1 vaccine. Several different vaccines have been produced for clinical testing. Whether these will be suitable for use against a pandemic flu strain derived from A/H5N1 depends on how much the pandemic strain has 'drifted' from the A/H5N1 virus currently in circulation in poultry.
The use and availability of vaccines during a pandemic is described in more detail in Chapter 3.
2.3.2 What drugs are available against A/H5N1?
There is evidence that recent A/H5N1 viruses respond to an antiviral drug called oseltamivir ('Tamiflu'). This has led experts to conclude that it may also be effective against a pandemic flu strain. However, the efficacy of antiviral drugs in a pandemic situation cannot be known with any certainty until the pandemic is under way. The use and availability of antivirals during a pandemic is discussed in more detail in Chapter 3.
