Ron Seybold's Viral Times

The British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline has created an anti-virus face mask, new to the world markets this year. The FDA approved the masks, called ActiProtect, for sale to US health care workers as an “occupational use” product. GSK claims in its testing that ActiProtect kills 99.99 of viruses that make contact with the mask, dead within one minute. GSK uses the term “inactivated” for the virus particles. By most measures, viruses are not alive until they latch onto a host’s tissue.

Although H1N1 is among the viruses listed that ActiProtect’s coating kills, the 2009 strain hasn’t been included among those vulnerable to the mask. ActiProtect doesn’t include a drug in its manufacture, simply an antiviral inactivation coating on the surface of the FFP2 mask. The mask is a coated version of a protection mask that’s been in use in industry for years. GSK has a patent pending on ViruCoat, which covers the outer surface of the mask.

You can’t buy one of these unless you’re in the healthcare business today. GSK would like to change that to expand its sales, but the US FDA ruling stands in the way. You wouldn’t consider the masks attractive, but they might be effective. Or not, depending on how many flu viruses particles are in the air. Fashion? You may have wait awhile. In the world of Viral Times, the society wears SafeMasks designed by Hugo Boss and Cole Haan.

For a 2009 modeling session, you can watch an entertaining YouTube video of the ActiProtect masks. Somehow, a British voice doing the explanation and narration makes it all seem less dire.

My wife and I get our primary care from Central Family Practice here in Austin. It’s a remarkable medical group because it gives equal emphasis to Western and traditional medicine. They’re just as likely to give you Chinese herbs as a prescription to fill. Whatever remedy works best, they’ll offer it.

Tamiflu is not big on their list, and with good reason. It’s an all-purpose drug aimed (poorly) at specific viruses. Instead, they advise you use something natural. Viruses can be reined in better with natural remedies than with pharma cures — the natural medicine doesn’t spark a virus to mutate like a pharma drug does.

Central Family Practice sent this Facebook message tonight:

Oscillococcinum, the remedy you don’t have to be able to pronounce for it to work. Oscillococcinum is a natural flu remedy. CFP has it in stock.

If you’re in Austin, they’re at 801 W. 34th Street. Call them at (512) 371-9260.

The Wall Street Journal has an article today that tells us H1N1 virus dread is not the only thing to avoid this coming flu season.

Along with the new H1N1 swine-flu virus, officials are keeping a close eye on some nasty seasonal strains. One is widely resistant to oseltamivir, the popular antiviral drug marketed as tamiflu. And an emerging variant of another virus known for hitting the elderly hard isn’t fully covered by this year’s seasonal flu vaccine.

“This season is going to be crazier than ever,” said William Schaffner, an infectious-disease expert at Vanderbilt University.

I started my novel Viral Times in the first years of this decade. I imagined a time when multiple virus outbreaks would be like chasing terrorist groups. Too much of it is coming true. Now it looks like even if H1N1 won’t threaten seniors, the flu shots being sold now will leave them at risk. I recommend Viral Immunity by J.E. Williams if you want to take a proactive, natural medicine approach to staying healthy.