http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/conditions/11/11/bird.flu.storm.reut/index.html
The jist is that Avian flu may have a 50% mortality rate because it causes a massive immune system response that essentially drowns the lungs. This is bothersome because I post on several boards filled with professional and student chemists, biochemists, molecular biologists, virologists, etc (basically anyone interested in human chemistry) and alot of them are preparing for a potential outbreak by stocking up on chemicals that can strengthen the immune system. However that may be exactly the wrong thing to do.
So if this flu kills because people have strong immune systems, what will be the medical response? Will simple cytokine antagonists, antihistamines, anti-allergy drugs and drugs for rheumatoid arthritis become deeply important to prevent deaths from avian flu? Are there drugs that inhibit immune responses in general, or that prevent cytokine formation in the body?