Mr. Zhong Nanshan, Director of the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Diseases, confirmed that a drug similar to Tamiflu is effective in treating avian influenza.
However, in an interview with Information Times, Mr. Zhong did not specify when the drug would be available on the market or how its effectiveness compares to Roche’s Tamiflu.
One of the main components of Tamiflu is shikimic acid, which is extracted from the fruit of star anise (grown in China) or produced through fermentation. However, Mr. Zhong denied rumors that the star anise plant itself is an effective treatment for avian influenza or seasonal flu, as the amount of shikimic acid it contains is very small compared to that found in Tamiflu.
This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) will send a team of experts to Hunan Province to investigate three suspected cases of avian influenza, as all three individuals live near outbreak sites.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, an 18-month-old boy infected with the H5N1 virus has fully recovered. Thawat Suntrajarn, the director of the disease control agency, stated that the boy’s quick recovery was due to “being infected with a very small amount of the virus and receiving timely treatment.” The exact cause of the boy’s infection remains unclear; however, experts believe he may have come into contact with chicken droppings (from chickens that later died from the flu). The patient will be monitored in the hospital for an additional three weeks as per international requirements.
The boy’s grandmother has also been tested twice, both results being negative (meaning no H5N1 detected). Her flu symptoms were only caused by the seasonal flu virus. Further testing will continue until the patient is discharged.
M.L (according to Reuters, AFP)
