News & Perspective

(CIDRAP News) – Science and preparedness discussions in the wake of China's H7N9 avian flu outbreak took the stage at two medical meetings today, with experts uneasy about how the virus has behaved so far and questioning its source and if the threat to humans can be contained.

(CIDRAP News) – The authors of a new review say there is little evidence of unrecognized human cases of H5N1 avian influenza, but the studies done so far have too many limitations to settle the controversial question.

(CIDRAP News) – A year-long voluntary moratorium on research involving transmissible H5N1 avian flu viruses ended today with a letter from a group of scientists that supports resuming the work in countries that have addressed the biosafety issues involved.

(CIDRAP News) – As a meeting to discuss issues related to federally funded H5N1 avian influenza research wrapped up today, experts anticipated that a voluntary moratorium on work with lab-modified strains that have increased transmissibility might end soon and said they sensed agreement about lab biosecurity levels.