Clayton Chang
Period A
5/13/12
Current Event Posting #4
Article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/12/us/journal-avian-flu/index.html?hpt=us_c2
Topic: Health
Title of Article: Science journal could give recipe for deadly avian flu virus
Author: Libby Lewis
Publication Name: CNN
Date of Publication: Sunday, May 13, 2012
Length of Article: 1,135 words, 2 pages
A. Main Ideas
A science journal is preparing to publish a controversial study that could provide terrorists with the necessary information to create and spread a lethal disease. The study is from an experiment by Ron Fouchier, who engineered the avian flu virus to make it more deadly to mammals by making it spread through the air. The publication of this study is being challenged by some scientists, who believe that this study could give valuable information to people with evil intentions. People could possibly create a lethal virus that could model the disease portrayed in the movie “Contagion”, which, according to Dr. Thomas Inglesby, could affect hundreds of millions of people. Others argue that information in this study can provide scientists with information on how a virus can mutate to one that causes a pandemic. The goal of this experiment was to find out why the avian flu spreads so quickly among birds, and not among humans. As a result of these experiments, the National Institute of Health concluded that it is possible for the bird flu virus to evolve into a highly transmissible killer virus. The journal Science is expected to publish this study within a few weeks.
B. Conclusion
A recent study regarding the spreading of a deadly virus among humans causes controversy. While the results can help scientists predict and prepare for future breakouts, it also provides information that can help people create and spread a deadly virus. This study has been approved by the National Scientific Advisory Board for Biosecurity, and is expected to be published in the journal Science within a few weeks.
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