Current research on drugs and vaccines for fighting bird flu.

Bird flu, or avian flu, caused by the H5N1 virus, is of concern worldwide. The antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir have been used to treat human cases, and resistance has been reported. Studies on the molecular mechanisms of antiviral resistance are needed to understand the problem and to aid future drug development. Control of a major outbreak would require a vaccine, but current manufacturing technology is not adequate to support influenza vaccine production in the event of an avian influenza outbreak.