Bird flu warnings likely inadequate

The international science community is not doing enough to track the many avian influenza viruses that might cause the next pandemic, according to a University of California, Davis, researcher.

Global surveillance is critical for identifying and tracking potential pandemic viruses such as the highly pathogenic H5N1, but the current surveillance strategy in wild birds is piecemeal and risks missing important virus sources or subtypes, maintains Walter Boyce, professor of veterinary medicine and codirector of the Center for Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research. Supported by the National Institutes of Health, the center is charged with tracking viruses in wild birds in the U.S. and Asia.

Boyce asserts that scientists must take several steps to catch avian influenza viruses before they catch us:

Go where the H5N1 virus lives. Surveillance has focused much too heavily on Europe and North America, where few wild birds are infected. To really understand the role of these fowl in spreading H5N1, more surveillance should be done in places where the virus is endemic, such as China, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Characterize all of the influenza viruses collected. 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. The scientific community must set a standard of releasing data no more than 45 days after it is generated.

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