A Pandemic Can Kill Millions
Influenza kills a lot of people every year and a pandemic can kill millions. As I have reported before, most deaths in healthy people are due to an overreaction by the person’s own immune system.
An important new way to save lives in a flu outbreak involves Eritoran, a drug which is being investigated as a way to treat sepsis.
Eritoran … Dramatically Reduces Deaths
According to an article in the May 1 online issue of Science NOW (AAAS), “Eritoran …dramatically reduces deaths from influenza in mice.”
Tamiflu and Relenza, the current flu treatments block the virus’s ability to attach to cells but this potential new treatment doesn’t stop the flu infection, rather it interferes with the body’s reaction to the infection, reducing mortality by blocking the mechanism which actually causes most deaths.
See Also: Why Does Swine Flu Kill Healthy People?
New H7N9 Flu Strain
Because of the major threat posed by the new H7N9 flu strain already spreading much more quickly than the 2009 H1N1 virus, which threatened to become the next big pandemic, the possibility of a new drug that targets the individual’s immune response is very important.
For a detailed study of the pandemic potential of H7N9 and other influenza strains, see my major article in the next issue of www.perihelionsf.com, due out by May 15.
I’ve reported here that statins can cut flu mortality by 40%, also by blocking the cytokine storm targeted by this new drug.
