# 2080
Pandemics don't happen in a vacuum.
In fact, there is a pretty good chance that a novel pandemic virus will emerge at the same time that a less lethal strain of seasonal flu (or other respiratory ailment) is circulating.
This, as you might guess, makes it very difficult to determine who has pandemic flu, and who has something else.
With limited antivirals and other medical resources available, having a rapid method of sorting out pandemic flu cases from regular flu becomes a major concern.
The CDC has announced contracts with two firms to produce a rapid flu test.
This report from CIDRAP News.
CDC funds tests to sort seasonal, avian flu
Jun 17, 2008 (CDIRAP News) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded two contracts worth a total of $12.9 million to develop influenza tests, with the aim of making it possible to distinguish seasonal from avian flu viruses within 3 hours.
Contracts worth about $6.5 million each were awarded to Nanogen Inc., San Diego, and Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC, Gaithersburg, Md., the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week.
The contracts are for "initial phased development," HHS officials said in a news release. Possible additional funds under the contracts could bring the total for Nanogen to $10.4 million and the total for Meso Scale Diagnostics to $12.1 million over 3 years, the statement said.
Testing for H5N1 avian influenza now can take up to 24 hours, according to HHS. The contracts will support the advanced development of tests that could be used in hospital or commercial laboratories and "would expedite the diagnosis of large numbers of patients," the agency said.
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