| Vol. 8 | No. 3 | October 2006 |
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Dialogue
Could the fact that chickens in China have been treated for bird flu with human drugs affect human health? |
Yes. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza worries health professionals because the virus could mutate into a form with the potential to cause a human pandemic. Antiviral drugs, like antibiotics, represent powerful weapons in the fight against such diseases, but their widespread use can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant illnesses that are difficult to treat. Since there are only two classes of antiviral drugs approved for use in humans (adamantanes and neuraminidase inhibitors), it is important to ensure these drugs will remain effective in the event of a human pandemic.
We do not know whether U.S. poultry producers previously treated flocks with human antivirals, but it will not happen in the future. The Food and Drug Administration—at the urging of UCS and numerous public health organizations—recently prohibited chicken, duck, and turkey producers from using antiviral drugs approved for human use in the United States: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir (Tamiflu), and zanamivir (Relenza).
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns has said that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza will probably reach the United States eventually. Although no one can say whether this strain will mutate into a form that can cause a human pandemic, the government is monitoring poultry and wild birds for the virus and planning to destroy flocks where it is found.
To learn more about this issue, visit the Department of Health and Human Services’ avian flu website, www.pandemicflu.gov.
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