Avian Flu, How Flu Spreads, Anti-Flu Drugs, and how to avoid Influenza

The Naked Scientists Podcast

Dr Chris Smith

Natural Sciences, Science, Science Radio, Naked Scientists, Health & Fitness, Engineering, Medicine, Technology, Life Sciences

4.6 • 958 Ratings

🗓️ 15 October 2005

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the flu season and the threat of avian flu comes closer, Professor John Oxford from the Royal London Hospital discusses what the flu is, where flu comes from and whether drugs and vaccines can prevent human and avian influenza. Professor Pat Troop, Chief Executive of the Health Protection Agency, describes the systems in place to stop an avian flu outbreak from spreading, and Dr Paul Digard, from the Division of Virology at the University of Cambridge, tells us how the flu virus escapes through layers of mucus in the nose. Meanwhile, in the Naked Scientists laboratory this week, Dave and... Like this podcast? Please help us by supporting the Naked Scientists

Transcript

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0:00.0	Live from the BBC The Naked Scientists.
0:07.0	Well, a very good evening to you and welcome to this week's edition of The Naked Scientists with me Dr. Chris Smith and with Dr
0:13.2	Catherine Hawkins. Hello Chris how's it going? Very well thank you. On tonight show
0:17.2	coughs and sneezes spread diseases indeed we'll be introducing you shortly
0:21.2	via our Naked Science Laboratory where Dave Ansel and
0:24.2	Derek Thorne are waiting with Beattie Breath to introduce you to the world's snottiest
0:28.4	nose.
0:29.4	You'll have to find out what that's all about.
0:30.6	And also Avian Flu.
0:32.2	It's been all over the news. it's been all over the newspapers, and it's all over Eastern Europe, we're told.
0:37.0	But what actually is avian flu? Is it a risk? Is it a danger? What's going to happen if it arrives here in the UK? Are we prepared for it and how are we actually going to cope with it if we indeed we need to?
0:48.0	Well to help us answer some of those questions we have here in the studio this evening from the Royal London Hospital down in London,
0:54.0	Professor John Oxford. Good evening John.
0:56.0	Yes, hello.
0:57.0	And we also have from the Health Protection Agency the Chief Executive, Professor Pratt Troop.
1:00.0	Hello Pat.
1:01.0	Hi. Thanks for coming in.
1:02.0	Well, that's up to you really to ask us any question. Hello Pat. Hi. Thanks for coming in.
1:03.0	Well, that's up to you really to ask us any questions you'd like us to try and cover for you this
1:06.6	evening.
1:07.6	So if you'd like to talk to John or to Pat or indeed to us, then the number-25-2,000 for anything related to viruses and
1:16.3	flu emerging infections and how things make you on well and what we can do about
	...

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