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Tracy Hampton, PhD

JAMA. 2007;297:1179-1180.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Arlington, Va—While influenza pandemics have long posed a threat to humankind—a threat realized to varying extents in 1918, 1957, and 1968—particular concern has mounted of late due to continued sporadic human cases of H5N1 avian influenza in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa. Experts met recently to discuss how best to prepare in the United States for a potential H5N1 pandemic, including a process for development and distribution of effective vaccines and antiviral drugs.

"There's very sound, robust scientific work being done," said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). For example, researchers are studying the molecular characteristics and evolution of the H5N1 virus and conducting clinical trials of various new vaccines and antiviral agents.

A researcher for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) inoculates a hen’s egg with H5N1 avian influenza virus. Scientists at the CDC . . . [Full Text of this Article]

VACCINE STUDIES