Wednesday, February 22, 2012

WHO study published variant H5N1 avian influenza virus

22/02/2012
After months of controversy because of concerns about biosecurity, World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced decision to allow controversial research on variation of the H5N1 avian influenza virus to respond to the the public's interest.

Deadly viral disease is still a major problem in many countries, from Indonesia to Egypt. Now, scientists from the U.S. and the Netherlands have created variant of H5N1 avian influenza virus can spread more easily from person to person. When variant H5N1 virus spreads from person to person, more than 60% number of people infected will die. Thus, variations of this virus to become one of the most dangerous strains of flu detected so far.

Grahm Burgess Dr. James Cook University, the study results is extremely important to researchers can learn to develop vaccines, methods of diagnostic tests and antiviral drugs can be used in case of pandemic H5N1. But experts have called for confidential details of this work. The bio-security experts worry that the virus changes thecua scientists in the Netherlands and the United States can produce beyond the laboratory, spread into the community or fall into the wrong hands. H5N1 virus was found the first time in Hong Kong in 1997 and spread mainly among birds of many Asian countries. However, so far, this virus still exists in the form of difficulty can be transmitted to humans. Since 2003, 600 people worldwide have been infected with this virus, and about half of which were fatal.

WHO published research on avian influenza amid raging again in many Asian countries. Bird flu has caused 10 deaths in Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Egypt since 12/2011. From 2003 to now, Vietnam has 121 cases of A/H5N1 flu reported in people, including 61 deaths, ranking second only to Indonesia.

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