Bird flu strains should be secret, government says

[markmc20001]

This is strange. How can anybody solve problems without the information?

The U.S. government paid scientists to figure out how the deadly bird flu virus might mutate to become a bigger threat to people - and two labs succeeded in creating new strains that are easier to spread.

On Tuesday, federal officials took the unprecedented step of asking those scientists not to publicize all the details of how they did it.



"It wasn't an easy decision," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, infectious diseases chief at the National Institutes of Health, which funded the original research.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/20/MN291MF00S.DTL#ixzz1hAESwfck


http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/12/20/MN291MF00S.DTL

 

[markmc20001]

New bird flu variant found in dead seals

After 162 dead harbor seals washed up on New England's shores, scientists believe they have found the cause: a bird flu variant never before seen in seals.


http://www.gloucestertimes.com/local/x1996145022/New-bird-flu-variant-found-in-dead-seals

 

[markmc20001]

Hong Kong culled 17,000 chickens Wednesday and suspended live poultry imports for 21 days after three birds tested positive for the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu virus.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-hong-kong-culls-chickens-bird.html

 

[markmc20001]

Other countries should not back US attempts to suppress details about the mutation of a killer bird flu to become highly contagious, an Auckland scientist says.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...nt-stop-flu-weapon-expert-20111221-1p5fr.html

 

[Enid]

I really don't believe in supressing science findings - we are fairly grown up now and probably more aware of our own illnesses and current scientific findings than those trying to hide any facts from us. Roll on the day when a Doc just does not say "well it's a virus".........oh yea but which one.

 

[Nielk]

Maybe they are afraid that if the unformation gets in the wrong hands, it can be used as a weapon of terrorism.

 

[Enid]

What's terrorism got to do with enlightenment of civilised societies.

 

[Nielk]

What's terrorism got to do with enlightenment of civilised societies.

XMRV Global Action

?"Two groups of scientists who carried out highly controversial studies with the avian influenza virus H5N1 have reluctantly agreed to strike certain details from manuscripts describing their work after having been asked to do so by a U.S. biosecurity council. The as-yet unpublished papers, which are under review at Nature and Science, will be changed to minimize the risks that they could be misused by would-be bioterrorists."

 

[Enid]

Well gas in the first world war did for my grandpa - so lets civilised societies continue to investigate the damage of all noxious chemicals.

 

[Nielk]

Well gas in the first world war did for my grandpa - so lets civilised societies continue to investigate the damage of all noxious chemicals.

Maybe, I've been watching too many episode of 24. I didn't watch it when it was on and now I am on a marathon watching it. (It takes my mind of my pain).