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Researchers have now managed to produce a new variant of the avian flu virus which probably can be transmitted between humans.
U.S. fears that the virus will be used as biological weapons.
The leading research journals Nature and Science are now thinking the box after the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) in the United States has asked them to censor the upcoming articles on the new fatal virus.
Read also: Fear of new outbreaks of bird flu fight
They announced the articles based on research done by Yoshihiro Kawaoka of the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the U.S. and Ron Fouchier and colleagues at the Erasmus Universiteit in Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
NSABB ask that research articles rewritten to avoid the new knowledge be misused for the production of highly dangerous biological weapons.
Deadly virus
Researchers have succeeded in genetically engineered flu virus H5N1 that is spreading easily between ferrets. That means it probably will be able to spread easily between humans.
According to experts, the consequence could be a very deadly pandemic if the new virus occurs by itself in nature or are released into the nature of people. In the worst case, millions of people lose their lives.
H5N1 virus has caused death in 60 percent of people who have been infected by it. So far, however, only recorded 350 cases of the so-called bird flu in humans.
Read also: why H5N1 is not transmitted between humans
When the number is so low, it is because the virus so far has not spread from human to human. The virus, however, can be transmitted from bird to human by close contact.
Should the virus start spreading among people, the situation will look much darker.
The first case
NSABBs leader, Paul Keim has previously said that he is very concerned about the impact it could have on a man-made virus released into the environment:
- I can not imagine any more intimidating pathogenic organism than this.
NSABB was established in 2001 after the letter containing anthrax spores were sent to several people in the United States. Expert Council is now asking for the first time that research knowledge is held back for security, said Director Amy Patterson of the U.S. Public Health Institute's Department of Biotechnology.
Read also: People of the cold for bird flu virus
U.S. Public Health Institute has even funded two research projects that NSABB has now addressed in the
American Science and Nature UK is now in dialogue with the NSABB on how the matter can be resolved, but emphasizes both that they are reluctant to withhold knowledge will also be used for good purposes.
The U.S. research organization, AAS, which publishes Science, said that a decision on the matter probably will be taken within a few weeks.
