Scientists who created a more deadly strain of bird flu have temporarily stopped their research amid fears it could be used by bioterrorists.
In a letter published in Science and Nature, the researchers call for an "international forum" to debate the risks and value of the studies.
US authorities asked the authors of the research to redact key details in forthcoming publications.
A government advisory panel suggested the data could be used by terrorists.
Biosecurity experts fear a mutant form of the virus could spark a pandemic deadlier than the 1918-19 Spanish flu outbreak that killed up to 40 million people.
The moratorium follows an international furore over the studies and concerns from scientists about increased government regulation, after the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity's (NSABB) recommendation in December.
"I would have preferred if this hadn't caused so much controversy, but it has happened and we can't change that," Ron Fouchier, a researcher from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, told Science Insider. "So I think it's the right step to make."
'Flatly false'While bird flu is deadly, its reach has been limited because it is not transmissible between humans.
However, the H5N1 flu virus was altered in the new studies to be passed easily between ferrets.
A senior US health official says "not everyone needs to know how to make a lethal virus"
The mutation was created by two teams at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US.
Two scientific journals want to publish the research - albeit in redacted form, but are seeking assurances from the US government about how the redacted data could be used by "all those responsible scientists who request it".
The World Health Organization said in a December statement that limiting access to the research would harm an agreement between its members.
"Many scientists within the influenza community have a bona fide need to know the details of this research in order to protect the public, especially if they currently are working with related strains of the virus," Science editor-in-chief Bruce Alberts said in December, in response to the NSABB recommendation.
NSABB is made up of scientists and public health experts, 23 from outside the government, and 18 from within.
It cannot stop publication but makes recommendations to researchers.
The letter, published on Friday, argues that knowledge of more infectious strains before they mutate in nature is valuable for public health.
"More research is needed to determine how influenza viruses in nature become human pandemic threats," the statement says, "so that they can be contained before they acquire the ability to transmit from human to human, or so that appropriate countermeasures can be deployed if adaptation to humans occurs."
But some said the pause on research was not enough.
One critic of the studies, Richard Ebright, a biologist at Rutgers University, told Science Insider that the letter "includes flatly false statements" about the safety of research labs studying H1N1.
Mr Ebright called the letter "strictly symbolic".
Reports say that a potential meeting debating the research and steps forward could happen during a World Health Organization meeting in February.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/world-us-canada-16662346
health master health aids health pro wrist watch wellness formula
No comments:
Post a Comment