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Category Archives: Science
H7N9 case in Taiwan – Implications for a pandemic
The recent report of a businesman who traveled to China and came back with a severe case of H7N9 has implications for the probability of a pandemic. The population of Taiwan is only about 23 million. I don’t know how … Continue reading
H7N9 sequencing in China – Where is BGI?
There have been some news stories recently suggesting that although the Chinese authorities are doing their best, they just don’t have the experience or resources to properly test or sequence the samples they have. This is complete nonsense written by … Continue reading
How to stop a H9N7 pandemic – containment
Although officially all cases of H7N9 have resulted from bird to human contact, there are strong indications that this assertion is false: 1. There is no virological link between between birds and affected humans. 2. Mutations have been found in … Continue reading
H7N9 adaptation to humans – evidence for ongoing human to human transmission
From The University of Wisconsin-Madison News, April 12, 2013 A genetic analysis of the avian flu virus responsible for at least nine human deaths in China portrays a virus evolving to adapt to human cells, raising concern about its potential … Continue reading
Cryptic Drift
Flu strains can change by “shift” or “drift”. Shift is said to occur when gene segments reassort to create a new virus. This how pandemics start. Drift is said to occur when enough small changes accumulate so that the virus … Continue reading
Airborne transmission of H5N1 in ferrets – the Fouchier study
Two studies have recently been published demonstrating that H5N1 can be transmitted in the air in ferrets, one by Dr. Kawaoka’s group, the other by Dr. Fouchier’s group. I have previously discussed the Kawaoka paper. Here, I present some of … Continue reading
The Kawaoka droplet transmission H5N1/pH1N1 study
Nature has just published the long-awaited paper by Kawaoka and colleagues describing the creation of a hybrid H5N1/pH1N1 virus which can be transmitted by respiratory droplets between ferrets: Experimental adaptation of an influenza H5 HA confers respiratory droplet transmission to … Continue reading
US government endorses publication of H5N1 ferret papers
Not much to say about this other than that it is very good news. From Science, April 20, 2012 The United States government has formally accepted a recommendation from a biosecurity advisory board to publish two controversial studies of the … Continue reading
Posted in public health, Science
Tagged bird flu, ferret, flu, H5N1, influenza, NSABB, pandemic
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False Security
From NPR, March 30, 2012 The Obama administration has announced a new policy to handle the risks posed by legitimate biological research that could, in the wrong hands, threaten the public. The move comes in response to a huge debate … Continue reading
Posted in public health, Science
Tagged biological weapons, BioWar, bioweapons, bird flu, CDC, DoD, gene synthesis, H5N1, influenza, NIH, NSABB, pandemic, resilience, USAMRIID
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The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity and the slippery slope of censorship – Part 4 – The Star Chamber
The NSABB’s censorship of flu studies has been exerted by intimidation, so far. But their opinions may soon have the force of law, if the National Security Council (NSC) gets their wish. From The Boston Herald, February 19, 2012 The … Continue reading
