- Recommendation from NSABB made in March formally accepted
By Ted Thornhill
|
The U.S Government has given the go-ahead for research papers on a deadly new strain of H5N1 avian flu virus to be published.
The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) concluded in March that they should be made public â" and this recommendation has now been formally accepted.
The NSABB took a stand over the papers last year out of concerns that details of the studies - which induced mutations in the virus that made it transmissible among mammals by air rather than by close physical contact - could be used for bioterrorism.
Green light: Papers on the H5N1 avian flu virus will be published in Nature and Science this year
When the NSABB initially recommended the two papers should not be published in full by the journals where they were under consideration, Nature and Science, critics raised fears that important science was being censored.
The ensuing debate raised questions about whether the research should have been done at all, as well as whether current national and international rules on biosafety and biosecurity are sufficient to protect the public from dangerous microbes.
The biosecurity panel spent two days earlier this year considering the papers.
Deadly: The natural form of H5N1 has infected tens of millions of birds
Both papers describe how scientists altered several genes of natural, or wild-type, H5N1 in a way that allowed it to spread from the airways of infected ferrets to other ferrets caged nearby.
So far, the natural form of H5N1 has infected tens of millions of ducks, geese, chickens, and other birds. But the only people to be infected - 598, of whom 353 have died - were those who came into close contact with the flocks.
The board was persuaded by an additional benefit of publishing the research - by informing countries where H5N1 is endemic, it would allow scientists there to be on the lookout for the mutations that make the virus more transmissible.
âWe had new information, confidential information, about benefits of this research, and we also had confidential information about the risks involved,â said Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University, who is the acting chairman of the panel.
âAnd the balance began to change.â
Ron Fouchier, who led one of the experiments, said the NSABB decision was âvery much to our pleasure.â
Collins added: âThe U.S. Government aims to preserve the benefits of vitally important life sciences research that holds the promise of enhancing quality of life for all of us, while minimizing the possibility that the knowledge, information, products, or technologies provided by such research could be misused for harm.â
- Former NFL star kills himself after lifetime of depression...
- 'I've had my phone tapped': Susan Sarandon reveals...
- Too much Botox? Carla Bruni is 'barely recognisable as the...
- Neighbour from hell spent ten years ordering hundreds of...
- Mystery of Russia's missing First Lady: Is Putin's 'affair'...
- Dream come true for family after daughter with Down Syndrome...
- 'Squatter' secretly builds incredible (but thoroughly...
- Life in America's poorest county: The proud Appalachians who...
- Female deputy sues for $50m after topless photos of her used...
- Is this the worst advert ever? Cringe worthy New York...
- 'I felt like an island - like an infectious leper': Child...
- 'I used a spy camera to catch a care home thug beating up my...
Share this article:
Here's what other readers have said. Why not debate this issue live on our message boards.
The comments below have not been moderated.
- Newest
- Oldest
- Best rated
- Worst rated
What possible reason was there for scientists to deliberately alter the gene to make it more contagious?
Report abuse
WHY? It's only a matter of time until someone with money, power and a demented mind tries to recreate this virus.
Report abuse
The only way it will become mutated is when it is forced to - in a laboratory near you.
Report abuse
i see the war department wan't more money.
Report abuse
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar