“Swine Flu kills hundreds in India in 2015”, does this sentence bring chills down your spine every time you see the number increasing? Is it true that India is moving towards a Swine Flu epidemic and is not ready to embrace the fact when statistics clearly say so? The question is, what is the permanent solution? Is Tamiflu enough to save lives?
If we go by a recent research conducted by the scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the current strain of the H1N1 virus has mutated to become even more virulent. It contradicts the claims of the Indian health authorities which state that since 2009, the virus has not mutated. But, according to the study, the virus is now even more dangerous than the previous strains. The two MIT researchers have stressed on the need for better surveillance to track the outbreak and help scientists to find a core solution on how to respond to this virus.
Just a few decades back, weren’t nearly 100 countries fighting a battle with Malaria, the deadly disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquitoes? Even today malaria’s economic impact is still estimated to cost billions of dollars in lost productivity each year. But back then, there was no or minimal funding for research on Malaria. Today, there has been a 10 fold increase in the funding and developing nations have taken successful attempts towards controlling the disease.
According to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, globally, the number of new cases from malaria has declined by 25%, and deaths have fallen by 42%. These gains have been achieved through not one but a combination of interventions, including indoor spraying with safe, long-lasting insecticides; timely diagnosis and treatment using reliable diagnostic tests and effective drugs and the use of bed nets treated to protect people from mosquito bites at night.
To curb Swine Flu, efforts are being made globally. Scientists at Gilead discovered Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), a medicine for swine flu using shikimic acid; the acid was originally available as an extract of Chinese star anise. By 2006, 30% of the supply was manufactured recombinantly in E. coli. Gilead exclusively licensed relevant patents to Roche in 1996. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Tamiflu has a 70-90 percent success rate in preventing the H1N1.
WHO is working to raise $1 billion to help developing countries buy vaccines. Also, The United States and several other countries have stated they plan to make 10% of their vaccine supply available to other countries in need. The FDA on Dec 22, 2014, approved the first new anti-influenza drug (for H1N1 and other influenza virus types) in 15 years called the peramivir injection (Rapivab).
Doesn’t this prove that in just a few years Swine Flu is not going to be that big a deal? Science will bring Swine flu down, the same way it tackled Malaria.