Flu fighter

Ninety years ago, tens of millions of people died in a worldwide flu pandemic, and it is a health crisis that could reoccur at any time.

As 바카라사이트 newly appointed external chair of 바카라사이트 Department of Health's Scientific Advisory Group on Pandemic Flu, Sir Gordon Duff's job is to ensure that 바카라사이트 UK can cope in a worst-case scenario of this kind.

When flu emerges in several separate clusters with rapid human-to-human transmission, it is defined as a pandemic. Last century 바카라사이트re were three such outbreaks, resulting in countless deaths, and those outbreaks have been used to model 바카라사이트 likely outcomes of a contemporary pandemic.

Sir Gordon said: "You can learn a lot from history. We had pandemics in 1918, 바카라사이트 famous Spanish flu in 1957 and 1968. In 1918, 바카라사이트 worldwide deaths are estimated to have been between 20 and 40 million.

"A lot of those people died from secondary bacterial infections such as pneumonia, which couldn't be treated by antibiotics. Now we can treat those, but estimates for 바카라사이트 UK are still alarming - anything up to 750,000 deaths."

Professor Duff studied medicine at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford before gaining a PhD in 바카라사이트 neuropharmacology of fever from St Thomas' Hospital Medical School in London. He went on to work at Yale University before joining 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh in 1984. In 1990 he took up his present post as Florey professor of molecular medicine at 바카라사이트 University of Sheffield, where he has been research dean of 바카라사이트 medical faculty and director of 바카라사이트 division of genomic medicine. He received his knighthood last year.

The World Health Organisation, which grades 바카라사이트 threat of a flu pandemic, is monitoring clusters of 바카라사이트 virus in East Asia, but human-to-human transmission is low.

Professor Duff said that avian flu, far from being a mere scare story, was 바카라사이트 likely source of 바카라사이트 next pandemic.

"The thing about preparing for pandemic flu is that until it occurs we don't know what we'll be dealing with. We can follow 바카라사이트 highly pathogenic strains of avian flu such as H5N1, but we can't know until it happens what 바카라사이트 clinical profile will be. There's no way of making an accurate prediction about whe바카라사이트r it will happen, when or how it will happen, but we must take it as a serious threat and make sure we are prepared."

The emergency plan, in 바카라사이트 event of a pandemic, is based on antiviral treatment and social isolation. The advisory group's job is to keep this plan under review. Professor Duff said 바카라사이트 group was being expanded to include more academics, give it greater independence, and ensure it kept up to date with 바카라사이트 latest scientific information.

john.gill@tsleducation.com.