In the United States created the most dangerous strains of influenza virus
The fact that the professor of virology Yoshihiro Kavaoka managed to create a modified strain of the H1N1 influenza virus sample 2009 of the year was written in the beginning of July by the British newspaper Daily Mail. Creating a new strain of the virus, Kavaoka hoped to develop a vaccine against influenza, but created a new virus that is currently resistant to human immunity. Yoshihiro Kavaoka tried to develop a strain that existed even before the famous 2009-2010 pandemic, in order to see in practice how the virus had changed during the last 4 of the year.
As a result, the scientific work of the professor was seriously criticized by a number of scientists. According to them, if a new strain of the virus somehow can leave the laboratory, it will be a serious threat to all mankind. “Kavaoka has modified the influenza virus, making it so that humanity will be powerless if this strain breaks out behind the walls of the laboratory. Everything that the professor did before, and so it was very dangerous, however, this work of his surpasses the previous ones by the level of madness, ”one of the scientists on condition of anonymity told English journalists. We can agree with this, if we consider that the new strain of the virus is resistant to the immunity of people, and there is no vaccine against it.
In turn, employees of the University of Wisconsin say that the risk of such a development is practically non-existent, and the work done by Professor Yoshihiro Kavaoka is primarily aimed at developing new flu vaccines. At the same time, the professor of virology himself acknowledges the fact that there is always a risk in any research. However, his team tried to mitigate the consequences of any potential problems with the project. At present, there is no threat to humanity, the studies that Kavaoki has carried out have been completed, and their results and conclusions have been published in scientific journals.
It is worth noting that Kavaoka previously worked with a much more well-known influenza virus. We are talking about the famous "Spaniard", which for nothing that raged in the world after the end of the First World War, but still "well-known". The pandemic of this virus in the early twentieth century led to the death of millions of people worldwide from 50 to 100. At the same time, the scientist used some fragments of avian influenza strains to create a virus strain similar to the “Spanish flu”, reports The Guardian. The virus was born thanks to reverse genetics. It was created on the basis of viruses that circulate today among birds, and is endowed with the ability to be transmitted by airborne droplets.
In an article that was published by Yoshihiro Kavaoka in the specialized journal Cell Host and Microbe, he describes the process of creating a virus. The article states that he and his team analyzed the genes of some strains, which strongly resembled the "Spanish flu". These viruses were artificially combined into one new one in such a way that scientists were able to develop a pathogen that is only 3% different from the famous 1918 virus of the year.
Researchers say that their work is very important for assessing the risks that today are responsible for the human disease of birds. As in the case of the new swine flu virus, many scientists opposed the development and asked to finish the experiments. The former president of the Royal Society, and once the chief scientific adviser to the British government, Sir Robert May, one of the most respected epidemiologists on the planet, said earlier that Kavaoki’s studies are extremely dangerous.
“I’m concerned because such studies only show a growing trend in the development of new viruses without any serious justification for public health. Such work is risky even when carried out in the most protected laboratories. Scientists cannot create such a risk without having convincing evidence that their work will save human lives. There is no such evidence in the article, ”said Mark Lipsic, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He is deeply convinced that the negligence admitted in such studies can cause a pandemic catastrophic for humanity. At the same time, Kavaoka himself says that his research has already brought real benefits, since if there had previously been discussions about the need to accumulate the H5N1 vaccine (bird flu), then today this question can already be considered completely closed.
Influenza viruses today circulate freely enough in wild bird populations, most of these viruses are not transmitted to other creatures, including humans. However, viruses may well mutate, forming forms that will be dangerous to humans. For example, since 2003, at least 5 people died in the world from the H1N386 avian influenza strain in the world, according to official WHO data. There is an assumption that the famous "Spaniard" in 1918 year came to the people from birds.
Pandemic "Spaniard" lasted 18 months. In 1918-1919, it led to the death from 3% to 5% of the population of our planet. According to various estimates, the flu virus died from 50 to 100 million people, and the number of infected people reached approximately 550 million people, which was almost a third of the population of the Earth at that time. The disease manifested itself as pneumonia, cyanotic complexion and coughing up blood. The last influenza pandemic 2009 of the year was caused by a virus belonging to the same group of microorganisms.
Information sources:
http://ria.ru/science/20140702/1014401372.html
http://mir24.tv/news/Science/10696023
http://www.gazeta.ru/health/2013/11/27_a_5772409.shtml
http://gearmix.ru/archives/12866
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