Avian Flu; Pathogenesis and Therapy

As the human race is still threatened by prospective avian flu endemics, new motivations and systematic approaches should be placed high on agenda in order to alleviate the potential losses of both human life and local economics. A balance and comprehensive measures between economy and the ecosystem of the endemic regions must also be considered. One of the top priorities in these explorations should be effective therapy for infected patients, including better uses and applications of vaccines and antiviral agents. In order to be better prepared for prospective avian flu epidemics, experimental and theoretical inquiry of therapeutic and technical feasibilities against avian viruses in humans deserve to be priority concerned, and extensive experimental and clinical exploitations of fatal pathogenesis of virus infection in human cells at genetic and cytological levels, are urgently needed. In this review, we address and discuss these important questions and review some important solutions for avian flu in future, including antiviral agents, virus vaccinations, Chinese medicine and genetic treatment of the disease.