Molecules: You'd better learn to live with them.
Let's take a visit back to May 2006. The DJIA was above 11,000 and would continue to increase for more than a year. The Da Vinci Code was in theaters. Don Rumsfeld would continue to look very polished in his tab-collar shirts, but his kung fu would serve him for only six more months, when Bob Gates would replace him, following a mid-term election thumpin'. Americans passed the time by applying for VISA cards which literally allowed them to use their homes as credit cards, with which they would buy granite countertops.
But a specter was haunting America - the specter of H5N1, or "bird flu," which threatened to become a pandemic, just as H1N1, or "swine flu" does today. First, we review a link to a bird-flu era series about antivirals and second, a few good links relating to the present situation.
The classics: Oseltamivir - Part 1 discusses the Tamiflu molecule. Oseltamivir - Part 2 discusses neuraminidase and sialic acid, the viral bits Tamiflu messes with.
The links: I've been enjoying Effect Measure for the last week or so for swine flu discussion (follow the comments - a lot of the authors' writing is there). Veratect has the most timely updates I've seen, but it's entirely unsourced, so you have no way to verify the quality. Also, you can follow a map of suspect and verified cases here.
But aren't you sick of fretting about this yet? Remember to wash your hands!
Medicine & Health
Physical Science
