Shots - Health Blog Fri February 17, 2012 WHO Panel Supports
Publication Of Bird Flu Details, Eventually The full details of
two controversial experiments on bird flu should be published
openly, says a panel convened by the World Health Organization.
But information about the studies should remain secret a while
longer so that there's time to address public concerns, the
group recommends. The experiments should stay on hold, too. The
research in question produced genetically altered bird flu
viruses, and critics say these germs could be dangerous for
people if they ever escaped the lab. A committee that advises
the U. S. government on security issues related to biological
research recently said that key details should be kept under
wraps, so as not to give terrorists ideas. The WHO panel, in
contrast, held a closed-door session to consider the matter and
concluded that full publication is preferable. The panel, which
was composed mostly of virologists, felt that it would be too
difficult to set up some kind o