Once-Banned Bird Flu Study Yields Sobering Findings

HealthDay – 4 hrs ago THURSDAY, June 21 (HealthDay News) -- As few as five mutations are enough to make the H5N1 avian influenza virus transmissible via airborne droplets between ferrets, according to a new, highly anticipated report.

Because the flu virus affects ferrets and humans in a similar way, the new findings, appearing in the June 22 issue of the journal Science, may shed light on how likely it is that an avian or "bird flu" virus will become pandemic and spread rapidly between humans.

If a new virus emerged, humans could essentially be defenseless against it.

The paper is the second of two whose publication was banned by the U.S. government, which feared that publishing specifics on a sequence of the H5N1 bird flu might prompt bioterrorists to develop and unleash a pandemic.

In April, however, the controversial ban was lifted and the first paper was published in the journal Nature.

Bruce Alberts, the editor-in-chief of Science, speaking at a press conference Wednesday, said he hoped publication of this and a companion paper "will help to make the world safer by stimulating more scientists and policy makers to focus on preparing defenses

View the Original article