''Preparing for a possible flu pandemic is a top priority for our nation, and FDA acted quickly to evaluate and expedite CDC's request for approval of this test,'' acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach told reporters. The test is an initial step; further testing would be needed if a strain of the flu were detected.
Fears have spread among the international health community amid deaths around Asia from the bird flu. Officials have long feared that the H5NI strain will lead to a flu pandemic if it evolves into a human form of the flu.
The bird flu has killed around 140 billion birds since it showed up in 2003. There have been 86 human deaths from the virus since then, most of which have been attributed to contact with infected birds. The CDC said that the new tests will begin being distributed to a number of labs in every state next week.
Dr. Steve I. Gutman, director of the FDA's Office of In Vitro Diagnostics Device Evaluation and Safety, told the Associated Press that only 140 labs in the United States with proper controls in place will receive the tests. They are not yet meant for mass screening, but rather for those with respiratory problems who have traveled to areas with high incidences of infection.
