Controversial Bird Flu Research to Resume | WPN World People News

An international moratorium on bird flu research, instituted a year ago by researchers because of concerns that a mutated form of the virus could fall into the wrong hands, has been lifted.

The 40 scientists who first agreed to halt any study of the H5N1 flu virus until safety guidelines were established now say that labs in countries that have since established such measures can resume their work.

However, the United States is not one of those countries, so any bird, or avian, flu research there is still on hold.

It is believed that all of the conditions the moratorium was initially installed to meet have been met. In those countries where research can be done safely, research should restart.

Ending the moratorium is necessary for public health reasons, those scientists who signed the letter stated.

The research is important to pandemic preparedness and to understand how avian viruses adapt to mammals will lead to better surveillance and vaccines.

The furor started in December 2011, when concerns that research into a genetically mutated form of bird flu could escape from labs or fall into the hands of bioterrorists. This prompted U.S. scientific advisers to ask Nature and Science to withhold key details of the groundbreaking research.

So far, the so-called avian flu strains have rarely been transmitted from birds to humans. But the genetically modified virus that was created by scientists in the United States and Holland has been more transmissible in animal experiments, potentially setting the stage for a deadly pandemic among humans.

The research revealed that as few as five mutations are enough to make the H5N1 avian flu virus transmissible via airborne droplets between ferrets, considered one of the best animal models to study flu and its impact on humans.

In countries where research will resume, some of the tighter standards will include strict bio-safety guidelines for the laboratories where such research is conducted. Scientists have also signed documents affirming that they will not share the mutated virus with other parties without permission of the funder.

In addition to the Netherlands, Canada is poised to start research again, although discussions are still under way in Japan.

Expert said the United States has done as much as we can as far as addressing the concerns. A system for evaluating the safety of proposed H5N1 transmission research in mammals, up for public comment this month, should allow federally funded research within weeks.

Source: HealthDay News