50 Top 10 Lists of 2007

Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs

#3. First Human Vaccine Against Bird Flu

In 2007 the threat of a pandemic avian flu got a teensy bit less scary. The deadly disease has killed 207 people worldwide and infected 336 since 2003. While only a small number of those cases were traced to human-to-human transmission, public health officials fear it's only a matter of time before the virus mutates into a more easily transmitted form and sparks a global outbreak. Hoping to ward off that worst-case scenario, this year the FDA approved the first human vaccine against the bird flu. Created from a human strain of the virus, the vaccine is given in two intramuscular shots. But don't bug your doctor for it. The vaccine isn't sold commercially. Instead, the federal government is stockpiling the stuff in case of a national outbreak.

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