BIOTERRORISM: Mutant Flu Virus

The H5N1 avian influenza causes an infectious disease in birds that can be spread to people. Almost all people that have encountered the disease have been in close contact with infected birds. The disease is serious and has a high mortality. About 60% of infected people that catch the disease do not survive. (http://www.who.int/influenza/human_animal_interface/avian_influenza/h5n1_research/en/) Naturally, the disease was not transmitted from person to person.

Recently scientists have been able to create in the laboratory a form of the avian influenza virus H5N1 that can be transmitted among mammals or between people. The argument used to justify such efforts is that scientist wanted to see how transmission of the disease is influenced by genetic manipulation in order to make possible the early detection of potential strains that can cause pandemics. The creation of the H5N1 form that is transmissible between people has raised concerns about the risks and safety of such research. If such strains of virus were accidentally released from the labs they could easily spread to unprotected population across countries and continents causing a pandemic. Such research has also raised the concerns related to the possible use of the virus as a biological agent in a bioterrorist attack.

Bioterrorism is the release of biological agents that includes viruses, bacteria, or toxins that could be transmitted through air, food, or water. The original avian influenza virus could spread only from sick birds to the humans in close contact with them and not from the sick person to a healthy one.

The simple fact that the new genetically changed H5N1 virus can easily pass between humans creates the basic premise for a weapon for bioterrorism. Biological agents are easy and inexpensive to obtain, easily spread, and can spread fear and panic beyond any actual physical damage they can cause.

Accidental release of the virus is also possible regardless the safety measures that are in place in labs. This makes the accidental spread of the disease and eventual quick spread among the population a reality.
It is possible that with the technological means available today and amassed knowledge in genetic, microbiology, virology, biology or other related disciplines scientist can achieve similar results with other types of viruses or microbes that can be a threat to public health and safety.  Such results are predictable. In the actual case, I believe, the findings and results were not incidental. Instead they were the result of a well studied methodology and work that may have lasted for years. Conducting such work requires also funding and therefore such work controllable. The ethics committees, public safety entities, IRB and other entities that make possible similar research activities should have been dealing with the question whether such research should have been allowed or not. I assume that their decision has been to allow it.

The other question raised by such events is that related to the publication of similar results. If such results became public knowledge how easily similar effects can be reproduced by those who may plan to use them for terrorism.

Mutant flu virus or in this case the H5N1 avian flu virus that is transmissible between mammals intrigued me immensely. The looming fear of accidental release of such a virus or even worse, a bioterrorist attack with a virus studied and understood by the researchers conducting it without the public’s knowledge would create uproar. This scenario could lead to greater skepticism of the general public towards research and science in general. The trust that people put on scientists to be innovative and find cures through research could forever be tarnished.

This study is very important because it gives us the ability to look for certain clues in animals not just ferrets that are likely to become infected with this virus and how we can anticipate when the next flu virus can occur. There was a lot of doubt about the ability of this virus circulating around the world, reaching unprotected populations that can have a severe threat but now there is no doubt that this could become a new pandemic.
In my opinion the results of similar studies should be published. Publishing the results of the study would give insight and the needed knowledge to monitoring the incidence and spread of the avian influenza, create more awareness of the virus, greater information for vaccine development, and possibly more funding by the people for future research for cures and treatments of the H5N1 virus.

 

The methodology used to create the new virus strains should not be published. In fact the governments should put very strong safety measures to prevent that the technology and method remain intellectual property of the scientific institution that has developed them. In addition, the government should take the proper measures that would prevent the divulging of such knowledge to public because of the danger of being used to create biological agent that can be used in bioterrorist attacks.

However the concerns about publishing such results could be sheer public panic, biosecurity or bioterror acts, accidental release, and broad proliferation.

Video on the debate of H5N1 avian flu virus:
http://blogs.nature.com/news/2012/02/video-debating-h5n1-and-dual-use-research.html
Advances in science occur only when information is shared so that others can duplicate a study and make new discoveries.
 *I do not own these images, they were found on various tumblr sites. Please let me know if any are yours and I will give you credit for them. Thanks so much!