Saranara. (Japanese for goodbye. Probably mispelled)
February 1998
Feature Articles
NIAID IN FRONT LINES OF HONG KONG FLU CRISIS
When the "bird flu" crisis took hold in December, the world turned to NIAID to furnish the weapons needed to launch the attack against H5N1. Drawing on our reserves of resources and expertise, the Institute moved quickly.
Within a few days, we sent avian flu expert and longtime NIAID grantee Dr. Robert Webster to Hong Kong, awarded a contract to develop a vaccine, and provided CDC and WHO with the only antiserum in existence to type the strain.
(See flu timeline)
NIAID's Initial Actions to Counter "Bird Flu":
*AWARDED GRANT SUPPLEMENT to conduct animal surveillance and isolate the virus to Dr. Robert Webster.
*Provided antiserum for diagnostic typing to WHO Influenza Collaboration Centers and U.S. state laboratories.
*Provided H5 hemagglutinin as a reagent in serological screening, immunogenicity, and efficacy studies in chickens.
*Awarded a contract to Protein Sciences Corporation for production of recombinant H5 hemagglutinin vaccine.
*Submitted a vaccine clinical protocol for IRB review and FDA approval. At Council, Dr. Fauci commended the effort as "another example of having done work years ago that is spelling our ability to move very quickly."
Dr. Webster shared some of his experiences at the February Council meeting to which he was invited as an ad hoc Council member. He also commented that "it was imperative that H5N1 be detected and treated before the regular flu season begins in March."
Meeting the flu challenge mobilized NIAID's program, grants, and contracts staff who, within one week, identified scientific resources, coordinated arrangements with CDC and the State Department, and awarded a grant and a contract.
Though several people in Hong Kong had contracted H5N1 earlier last year, the crisis became full blown in December, with two new cases and one death. Altogether, there were 18 confirmed cases, six fatal.
The ominous part was that the outbreak marked the first time an avian strain infected people, who have no immunity to it. In previous jumps to humans, the virus was reassorted in an intermediate host, usually pigs, which provided the "melting pot" for getting the bird genes into a strain that infects humans.
A Mission Possible
NIAID has a long history of support of flu research, including H5N1, first isolated in August 1997. The Institute maintains the world's only typing reagents, needed to diagnose patients and define strains for vaccines.
When the crisis arose, we sent 600 vials of these reagents to CDC and WHO collaborative centers in the U.S. and abroad and another 20 vials to FDA.
Fortunately, NIAID also supports one of the world's foremost experts on flu, Dr. Webster, who works at St. Jude's Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee.
As soon as the crisis emerged, Dr. Webster was ready to go. After arriving in Hong Kong, he conducted animal surveillance and isolated H5N1 and other avian influenza viruses. He also studied the role of animals other than chickens in transmission and looked for a nonpathogenic strain that could be used in a vaccine.
International Team Identified Sources
Dr. Webster's international team identified the sources of H5N1, an effort made possible by a supplement to his NIAID grant.
While in Hong Kong, he got a good look at how birds are housed there, methods that can contribute to the emergence of new epidemics. For example, cages holding different types of birds are often stacked upon each other, facilitating the exchange of body fluids and excrement.
He recommended changes to authorities in Hong Kong and hopes more permanent changes will prevent further outbreaks such as this one.
Dr. Webster told Council that the killing of the 1.5 million chickens in December was critical. He also described the flu response as a "tremendous collaborative effort on the part of NIH, CDC, and WHO. By going there and acting very rapidly, we may have shut the door on this pandemic," he said.
However, he cautioned us not to be complacent, "We cannot sit on our hands and say we have been successful." Back home, Dr. Webster continues to characterize the avian viruses, while CDC is working on the human strains.
excerpted from:
http://www.niaid.nih.gov/ncn/newsletters/nl0298/page4.htm