THE top US biosecurity committee has called for global guidelines for research on dangerous flu strains.
H5N1 bird flu is lethal, but cannot usually spread between mammals by air. So work in 2011 showing airborne transmission caused a sensation. So much so that, in December, the US National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) advised against publishing details of the work. The rationale was that if terrorists – or sloppy scientists – released such a virus, the effects could be devastating. Last month, however, the NSABB changed its mind, in the face of legal hurdles and re-assessment of the risk.
It now…
