Bird-Flu Expert Calls For Changes In Early-Warning System

January 13, 2010

ScienceDaily (Dec. 11, 2007) — The international science community is not doing

enough to track the many avian influenza viruses that might cause the next

pandemic, a UC researcher says.

Global surveillance is critical for identifying and tracking potential pandemic

viruses such as highly pathogenic H5N1. But the current surveillance strategy in

wild birds is piecemeal and risks missing important virus sources or subtypes,

Walter Boyce writes in a commentary.*

Boyce says scientists must take several steps to catch avian influenza viruses

before they catch us:

* Go where the H5N1 virus lives: Surveillance has focused too heavily on

Europe and North America, where few wild birds are infected. To really

understand the role of wild birds in spreading H5N1, more surveillance should be

done in places where the virus is endemic, such as China, southeast Asia and

Africa, Boyce says.

* Characterize all of the influenza viruses they collect: Currently, the

narrow focus on H5N1 misses other viruses that also pose pandemic risks.

* Share samples and data more promptly: Whether caused by regulatory hurdles

or researchers' concerns about intellectual property rights, a reluctance to

share hampers health officials' ability to track and respond to potential

pandemic viruses. Boyce recommends that the scientific community set a standard

of releasing data no more than 45 days after it is generated.

Boyce, a UC professor of veterinary medicine, is co-director of the $18.5

million Center for Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research (CRISAR). The

center, supported by the National Institutes of Health, is charged with tracking

viruses in wild birds in the United States and Asia. The full commentary is

published in Nature December 7, 2007. Story Source: Adapted from materials

provided by University of California - .

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