14/10/05

Bird flu threat needs open, coordinated response

Plans for a potential flu pandemic must be well-coordinated, says The Lancet Copyright: Fridayworld.org

We encourage you to republish this article online and in print, it’s free under our creative commons attribution license, but please follow some simple guidelines:

You have to credit our authors.
You have to credit SciDev.Net — where possible include our logo with a link back to the original article.
You can simply run the first few lines of the article and then add: “Read the full article on SciDev.Net” containing a link back to the original article.
If you want to also take images published in this story you will need to confirm with the original source if you're licensed to use them.
The easiest way to get the article on your site is to embed the code below.

For more information view our media page and republishing guidelines.

The full article is available here as HTML.

Press Ctrl-C to copy

<div class="article-wrap">
<div id="article-introduction">
<h1>Bird flu threat needs open, coordinated response</h1>
<h4></h4>
</div>
<br />
<br />

<div id="article-body">
<p><P>Last week, researchers announced they had cracked the genetic code of the flu virus that killed 20-50 million people in the 1918–1919 pandemic. They also made the genetic sequence publicly available (see <a  href="/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readnews&itemid=2397&language=1" target=_self rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Resurrected’ 1918 flu virus gives insight into bird flu</A>).  </P><br />
<P>Immediately, a debate began about whether this information could be used to help create a biological weapon. The researchers themselves had, in a paper in <em>Science</em>, demonstrated that the 1918 virus could be recreated. </P><br />
<P>This editorial in <em>The Lancet</em> argues that the decision to publish the virus’s genetic sequence was “undoubtedly the right one”. It explains that the move comes as the United States has begun taking the lead in efforts to draw global attention to the threat of another human flu pandemic. </P><br />
<P>However, the editorial goes on to say that a leaked copy of the US pandemic preparedness report reveals one weak point: “it does not say who is in charge of coordinating a response”. </P><br />
<P>It concludes that what is needed is “strong national and regional leadership, … unrestricted transparency… from all countries, including China … and renewed research efforts to find the best methods of prevention and treatment”.</P><br />
<P><a  href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140673605675393/fulltext" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article in <em>The Lancet</em></A><BR><BR></P></p>

</div>
<div class="quick-links-wrapper">
<h3>You might also like</h3>
[related-articles]
</div>
<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/bird-flu-threat-needs-open-coordinated-response/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
<script type="text/javascript">
(function(e,t,n,r,i,s,o){e["GoogleAnalyticsObject"]=i;e[i]=e[i]||function(){(e[i].q=e[i].q||[]).push(arguments)},e[i].l=1*new Date;s=t.createElement(n),o=t.getElementsByTagName(n)[0];s.async=1;s.src=r;o.parentNode.insertBefore(s,o)})(window,document,"script","//www.google-analytics.com/ga.js","ga");var _gaq=_gaq||[];var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(["_setAccount","UA-3223906-8"],["_trackEvent","article interaction","republished","https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/bird-flu-threat-needs-open-coordinated-response/",null,true])
</script>
</div>

Last week, researchers announced they had cracked the genetic code of the flu virus that killed 20-50 million people in the 1918–1919 pandemic. They also made the genetic sequence publicly available (see ‘Resurrected’ 1918 flu virus gives insight into bird flu).

Immediately, a debate began about whether this information could be used to help create a biological weapon. The researchers themselves had, in a paper in Science, demonstrated that the 1918 virus could be recreated.

This editorial in The Lancet argues that the decision to publish the virus’s genetic sequence was “undoubtedly the right one”. It explains that the move comes as the United States has begun taking the lead in efforts to draw global attention to the threat of another human flu pandemic.

However, the editorial goes on to say that a leaked copy of the US pandemic preparedness report reveals one weak point: “it does not say who is in charge of coordinating a response”.

It concludes that what is needed is “strong national and regional leadership, … unrestricted transparency… from all countries, including China … and renewed research efforts to find the best methods of prevention and treatment”.

Link to full article in The Lancet