Flu expert's forecast is bleak
By Tom Corwin | Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 9:47 p.m.
ATHENS, Ga. ? An international gathering of influenza and immunology experts shared promising research Tuesday on new insights into how the immune system reacts to flu and potential new approaches to combating it.
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But one public health expert also issued a dire warning about the coming impact of the novel influenza A H1N1 pandemic and potentially devastating disruptions to worldwide trade and the country?s infrastructure.
The University of Georgia played host to the Third Annual Immunobiology of Influenza Virus Infection conference. The conference shifts annually between UGA and Emory University in Atlanta because the two collaborate in the Influenza Pathogenesis and Immunology Research Center. The regional lab allows ?real-time? research on the novel virus and its impact on patients, and the research at the conference presents a lot of opportunities to build on what is happening now, said Ralph A. Tripp, associate director of the center.
But even groundbreaking work might not be sufficient to combat the impact of the novel virus and the problems it poses for the U.S., said Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy and the Minnesota Center for Excellence in Influenza Research and Surveillance. A big part of the problem is the globalization of trade and the ?just in time? ordering of supplies, where things are shipped as needed to cut down on warehousing costs. But many of these items must be shipped from Asia, manufactured there or the raw materials shipped from India or China, where widespread flu vaccination is not likely.
There were some glimmers of hope. For example, testing of antibody responses found that about 34 percent of those born before 1950 had a significant response against the new virus, possibly from having a previous flu strain that carried similar antigens.
Reach Tom Corwin at (706) 823-3213 or tom.corwin@augustachronicle.com
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