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The eight national VTEUs are funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct clinical trials for all infectious diseases other than HIV/AIDS. The making and testing of vaccines is an important step in preparing for a pandemic. Vaccines for the various strains of bird flu could save thousands of lives and billions of dollars. Scientists estimate a bird flu pandemic in the United States could result in 90 million Americans being affected by flu-related illnesses and two million domestic deaths. Several worldwide influenza outbreaks ("pandemics") have occurred during the past century, including Spanish Flu of 1918, Asian Flu of 1957, and Hong Kong Flu of 1968. The Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918 resulted in an estimated 60 million deaths worldwide. "The upcoming bid flu vaccine trial is an important part of our U.S. national preparedness for a future influenza pandemic," says Mark Mulligan, MD, principal investigator of the Emory VTEU and executive director of the Hope Clinic of the Emory Vaccine Center. "By preparing now, by figuring out the best vaccine strategies, we hope to reduce the potentially severe impact of the next pandemic. Emory University is proud to be participating. It is an opportunity for our Atlanta area study volunteers to contribute to an important public health effort. We are overdue for an influenza pandemic, so it is really a matter of 'when' not 'if.' This clinical trial is helping to get us ready for that 'when.'" "Avian influenza remains a pressing and urgent international issue. This study hopes to find a solution--a preventive solution that might protect everyone and prevent the millions of deaths we have seen with other pandemics," says Gregory A. Poland, MD, director of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group. The VTEU network clinical trial will involve 500 healthy persons who have not been previously vaccinated against the H5 influenza strain, including 160 at the Emory clinical research site. "The Atlanta community has been very supportive of our efforts at the Hope Clinic," according to VTEU supervising research nurse Jane Skvarich, "and we look forward to broadening our impact with the inclusion of a diverse group of participants committed to the prevention research aims of this important study." In addition to Emory University and its affiliate sites, the study will be conducted at several nationwide sites including Saint Louis University and the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, Washington. www.HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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