Canadian Poultry Magazine

Controversial avian flu transmission research to resume

David Manly   

Features Health Research Biosecurity Business/Policy Canada Global Protection United States

Jan. 23, 2013 – A group of scientists have announced the end of a yearlong moratorium on the controversial work to engineer and experiment on the H5N1 avian flu virus.

The initial work was halted early in 2012, when research was about to be published in the scientific journals Nature and Science. The research involved the flu virus mutating and being able to spread through the air (in this case, ferrets, a model for mammalian flu transmission).

In a letter published on January 23, 2013, the 40 scientists involved in the letter say that the moratorium should be removed – it has served its purpose and, as long as researchers take the necessary precautions, can be safe for the researchers and the general public.

Advertisement

“We believe what we do is safe,” said Dr. Yoshihiro Kawaoka, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison behind one of the two controversial studies from 2012. But, he cautioned that there is an inherent danger involved in this type of research, but that the potential benefits far outweigh the perceived risks.

The researchers that are involved with the letter say that the virus will continue to evolve in nature and research strategies need to be developed to deal with the eventual mutation of H5N1 to become airborne. Only by finding and understanding these mutations, obtaining more samples of the virus from mammals (not just birds) and expanding animal testing can answer these fundamental questions.

The letter continues: “Because H5N1 virus transmission studies are essential for pandemic preparedness and understanding the adaptation of influenza viruses to mammals, researchers who have the approval from their governments and institutions to conduct their research safely, under appropriate biosafety and biosecurity conditions, have a public-health responsibility to resume this important work.”

In the U.S., no decision has been made regarding the conditions of H5N1 virus transmission research, so they will still fall under the moratorium until a decision is made. Canada has made a decision to pursue this type of research, but only under biosafety level 4 conditions, the highest caution.

The letter can be viewed in full here.


Print this page

Advertisement

Stories continue below