#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.