World vigilant after Dutch lab mutates killer virus...

[2good2btrue]

World health ministers said Friday they were being vigilant after a Dutch laboratory developed a mutant version of the deadly bird flu virus that is for the first time contagious among humans.

"We need to be very vigilant. This is something that we talked about a lot this morning," French Health Minister Xavier Bertrand said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Global Health Security Initiative (GHSI) in Paris.

The GHSI comprises the G7 group of industrialised nations along with Mexico, the European Union's Commission and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A research team led by Ron Fouchier at Rotterdam's Erasmus Medical Centre said in September it had created a mutant version of the H5N1 bird flu virus that could for the first time be spread among mammals.

The H5N1 strain of bird flu is fatal in 60 percent of human cases but only 350 people have so far died from the disease largely because it cannot, yet, be transmitted between humans.

The announcement led to fears the mutant virus could find its way into nature or that the publication of the research on how the virus was mutated could be used by terrorists.EU Health Commissioner John Dalli told journalists he had received assurances from Dutch authorities that the virus was secure.

"The Dutch authorities confirmed that the virus itself is stored in a very secured way and that the necessary permits were given and that the researchers are bound by a code of conduct," Dalli said.

"One of the issues ... is to ensure that any information coming from this research is well controlled and without sensitive details about mutation being given," he said.

Fouchier said in a statement his team had discovered that transmission of the virus was possible between humans "and can be carried out more easily than we thought."

"In a laboratory, it was possible to change the H5N1 into a virus ... that can easily be spread through the air. This process (mutation) could also happen naturally," Fouchier said

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/8387617/world-vigilant-after-dutch-lab-mutates-killer-virus

Keep it a secret so terrorist can't get their hands on it........well, just how bad is this, and why isn't there more news about it ???

We need to stand up and be counted....what a way to wipe out  huge masses of people..!!

[paula-c]

When someone dares to challenge the conspiracy of silence which imposes a 'politically correct' discretion, the chorus of the system disqualifies you for 'alarmist' or 'crazy'. But it should be remembered that emerging viruses are not a threat but a reality documented and operational right now. Another thing is that the background silence that follows each outbreak society to forget the existence of the serious diseases that cause these pathogens.

Our culture does not want to see beyond the television or hear anything beyond mobile. First and foremost want to prevailing expansive optimism to stimulate consumption and to ensure the health of the market, more important than public health for those who manage the global village. So things are

[Katie2]

I have always thought that because of the growing population 7 billion a large number of people will be deliberately killed with an epidemic or tainting of food supplies or a vaccine that will say to cure something like cancer or HIV and end up being tainted. This I think will happen in 10 years maximum, but then again this is just my opinion  :(

[everlastinglove_MJ]

"It's just a bad idea for scientists to turn a lethal virus into a lethal and highly contagious virus, and it's a second bad idea to publish how they did it so others can copy it," Inglesby said.

Other biosecurity experts, however, aren't as sure. Dr. Harvey Rubin, director of the University of Pennsylvania's Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis, said the research, based upon what's been made public, seems to fall under the category of dual use, but without knowing more, isn't sure it shouldn't be published.

quoted from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/man-made-bird-flu-virus-causing-concern-scientists/story?id=15043553

I absolutely agree with your concern.  :(