Warning over bird flu drugs
Daily Mail (UK)
April 28, 2006

Experts warn that drugs to fight bird flu should be given to those infected twice as quickly as ministers plan to. Anti-viral drugs should be given within 24 hours of falling ill in a pandemic. The Government proposes 48 hours. An expert on the spread of diseases, Professor Neil Ferguson, said infection rates could be halved by doubling the stockpile of drugs to fight bird flu to over 29 million treatments while the Government plans to order 14.6 million treatments which is only enough for a quarter of the population. Basing findings on a computer simulation of nationwide bird flu infection rates, it is estimated that a pandemic would peak within two months with the worst being over within four months, after killing thousands.