Health experts, scientists to discuss bird flu studies
February 10, 2012 in Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
The World Health Organization said Friday it will meet next week to determine whether scientists can publish research on a bird flu virus that may be easily passed among humans.
The two-day discussion will relate to research on a mutation of the H5N1 virus that international scientists halted on January 20 citing fears of the devastation it could wreak were it to escape the laboratory.
According to WHO, avian influenza H5N1 is primarily transmitted between birds, and very rarely to humans.
Two separate teams of researchers, one in the Netherlands and the other in the United States, found ways late last year to engineer the H5N1 virus so that it is transmitted among mammals, something that has been rare.
The breakthrough raised alarm that the method could fall into the wrong hands and unleash a massive flu pandemic that could cost millions of lives.
A US advisory panel in December urged that key details remain unpublished.
WHO said it will hold a technical meeting on Wednesday and Thursday on the specific circumstances and results of the two studies.
"There will be 22 participants: two teams of researchers, representatives of the influenza laboratory network and representatives of the scientific newspapers Science and Nature" said WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib.
They will try to reach a consensus about practical actions to resolve the most urgent issues, particularly those related to access to and dissemination of the results of this research, WHO said.
(c) 2012 AFP
-
Bird flu researchers agree to 60-day halt (Update 2)
Jan 20, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
US official says bird flu limits not 'censorship'
Dec 21, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
WHO 'deeply concerned' by mutant bird flu
Dec 31, 2011 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Four US swans die from bird flu virus
Feb 02, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Indonesia reports second bird flu death this year
Jan 20, 2012 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Early childhood respiratory infections may explain link between analgesics and asthma
A new study conducted by Boston researchers reports that the link between asthma and early childhood use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be driven by underlying respiratory infections that prompt the use of these analgesics, ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
10 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Tiny, implantable coil promises hope for emphysema patients
A small, easily implantable device called the Lung Volume Reduction Coil (LVRC) may play a key role in the treatment of two types of emphysema, according to a study conducted in Europe. Results of the study indicate the beneficial ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
10 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Extra vitamin D may ease Crohn's symptoms, study finds
(HealthDay)—Vitamin D supplements may help those with Crohn's disease overcome the fatigue and decreased muscle strength associated with the inflammatory bowel disease, according to new research.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
20 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
Impossible to predict outcome in China's bird flu outbreak, WHO says
It is impossible to predict the evolution of China's human H7N9 bird flu outbreak as researchers are still trying to understand the source of human transmission, the head of the World Health Organisation said Monday.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
2 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Computer model predicts when viruses become infectious
A new computer model could help scientists predict when a particular strain of avian influenza might become infectious from bird to human, according to a report to be published in the International Journal Data Mining an ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
3 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Music therapy reduces anxiety, use of sedatives for patients receiving ventilator support
New research suggests that for some hospitalized ICU patients on mechanical ventilators, using headphones to listen to their favorite types of music could lower anxiety and reduce their need for sedative medications.
Early IV nutrition for certain patients does improve survival or reduce ICU length of stay
The early (within 24 hours of intensive care unit [ICU] admission) provision of intravenous nutrition among critically ill patients with contraindications (a condition that makes a particular procedure potentially inadvisable) ...
Having a nighttime critical care physician in the ICU doesn't improve patient outcomes, research finds
With little evidence to guide them, many hospital intensive care units (ICUs) have been employing critical care physicians at night with the notion it would improve patients' outcomes. However, new results from a one-year ...
Digital divide exists with physician EHR adoption
(HealthDay)—The majority of physicians remain reluctant to adopt health information technology (HIT), according to a report by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
Exposure to traffic pollution increases asthma severity in pregnant women
Air pollutants from traffic are associated with increased asthma severity levels in pregnant asthmatic women, according to a new study.
Study finds air pollution and noise pollution increase cardiovascular risk
Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person's risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study, in which both factors were ...
