Protected by antibodies from ... 1918

Antibodies from survivors of the 1918 flu pandemic - the worst pandemic in human history - continue to protect them against this deadly virus, opening a new "weapon" in the war. with bird flu.

US scientists studied 32 people who survived the flu in 1918 aged 91 to 101, and found that all had antibodies in the blood to kill the virus in a surprisingly effective way.

Their antibodies also help mice fight deadly bird flu virus. That proves that even though 90 years have passed, pandemic survivors continue to be protected.

"It's amazing to know that these people have had their cells suspended in their blood for so long," said Dr. James Crowe of Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, who led the study.

The patients were treated during the 1918 flu epidemic at a site in Fort Riley Kansas.Photo: Xinhua News Agency

Crowe's team is currently working to extract antibodies from people vaccinated in tests against the H5N1 flu virus, which is raging in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Antibodies of these survivors will be a good temporary treatment while waiting for vaccines to be produced and circulated.

The 1918 pandemic broke out from Spain and swept the world at the end of World War 1, killing between 50 and 100 million people. Some experts say it is the most devastating pandemic in history.