Scientists claim to have found flu cure

Flu may have finally been beaten by a team of London scientists.

Researchers at Imperial College claim they have developed a cure for the virus which can deal with even the most virulent, and often fatal, strains of the bug.

Symptoms including exhaustion and sore throat were virtually eliminated in a three-year trial on mice. Now it is hoped the cure can be developed for use on humans.

Current flu treatments include an annual vaccination which attempts to predict how the virus might mutate or anti-viral drugs which are given in the very early stages after the patient feels ill.

However it is impossible for doctorsto predict what strains of flu can strike at any one time, and the window of opportunity for giving the anti-viral drugs is very small - only a day or so after the first symptoms occur.

In 1919, Flu A, also known as Spanish flu, killed more than 20 million people across the world.

Scientists say the key to the new treatment, which could be given by injection or straight into the blood stream by a nasal spray, is that it can be administered even when symptoms are well developed.

Lead researcher Ian Humphreys, of Imperial's Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, said: "The treatment can be used even when a patient is lying in bed feeling terrible. After a day or two, they will feel mostly recovered. In less severe cases, the effects will be almost instantaneous."

The painful symptoms of flu are caused by T white blood cells trying to fight off the virus, which inflame and clog up the airways.

The new treatment works by reducing the inflammation in the body by up to one third. Researchers hope it can be used to tackle other illnesses triggered by inflammation such as Sars, asthma, bronchitis and arthritis.