Gene tests show birdflu virus is evolving

[tocqueville]

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent
1 hour, 2 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Genetic tests of samples taken from Turkish victims of the bird flu virus show it has made a small change but probably not enough to make it more dangerous yet, researchers said on Thursday.

The mutation is one that would be expected in a highly changeable virus, the experts said, and is one that would be predicted to eventually allow it to cause a pandemic.

H5N1 avian influenza has caused a burst of human infections in Turkey and has been found in flocks of poultry across the country. It has killed three children in Turkey and infected a total of 18 people, according to Turkish authorities.

Globally it has infected just 147 people and killed 78 of them, according to the tally from the World Health Organization, which only includes four of the Turkish cases.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060112/wl_nm/birdflu_mutation_dc
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one can only wish it will only affect chickenhawks, make them grow feathers and go "kwak, kwak"

[havocmom]

1. Waiting to see if strict Creationists take precautions

:evilgrin: & :popcorn:

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

2. Bwahahaha.

Ya, I'd "doubt" this story if I were them...Fortunately, I believe in evolution.

[havocmom]

6. I'm so old, I remember when people didn't believe in germs

cuz the Bible never mentioned them ;)

[MindPilot]

5. It's only a theory and what you don't believe in doesn't exist, right?

Besides, when the pandemic does come, they will still blame it on Atheists, liberals, the ACLU, and Al-something or another.

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Evolution is a mother fucker.

Whether you believe it or not, it happens.

[Canuckistanian]

3. The virus hasn't changed in 5,000 years

They can just use the old vaccines. :sarcasm:

[Loonman]

4. 1918 flu was like that

...

[Corgigal]

7. Shit....

The End

[soothsayer]

9. The sky is falling! Run for your lives! O the humanity! LOL

[SPKrazy]

10. A story I read on Yahoo (I think) said that a Swedish medica research

group also thinks that many more people have been exposed to the bird flu and NOT gotten serious symptoms!

They did this by old fashioned interviewing of people in areas affected by bird flu in China.

They found many people had developed flu like symptoms after being exposed to birds (in an area where the chickens and ducks are nearly all infected) and their conclusion is that now what needs to be done is to test blood in the affected areas for antibodies to the virus. If it is the case that many thousands have been exposed and only 160 or so have developed severe symptoms and only half of them have died, then the virus may be far less lethal than previously believed.

At this point this is speculation since there is no way to tell without the blood tests whether people were in fact exposed and just didn't develop severe symptoms.

[SaveElmer]

11. Many have been saying this for months...

Some find it unbelievable with the number of farmers in close contact with chickens in areas infested with the flu in birds, that many thousands haven't grown an immunity.

We might be seeing this in Turkey as well...3 children have died, but according to officials none of the rest are in serious condition.

[SPKrazy]

13. And possibly many more have been infected

but have had little or no symptoms

[SaveElmer]

14. That is what the swedish study implied...

Serological studies need to be done, but there is strong evidence that this virus is causing many non serious infections for every serious one that it causes. Blood testing will confirm this, and determine a more precise number

[SaveElmer]

12. This is not a new mutation...

“This same mutation was identified in 2003 in Hong Kong and yet did not take off in a way that led to greater transmissibility either from chicken to human or human to human.”


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10823298/

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. Are you sure it isn't "intelligent designing?"

:evilgrin: