Scientists Say 1918 Flu Is Birdlike

[rodbarnett]

By LAURAN NEERGAARD
AP Medical Writer

February 6, 2004, 9:07 AM EST


WASHINGTON -- The 1918 flu that killed 20 million people appears to be more birdlike than previously thought, according to findings by U.S. and British researchers that could help explain why it was the deadliest influenza strain ever recorded.

The work doesn't have direct implications for Asia's current outbreak of bird flu, a strain that doesn't seem able to easily infect many people.

But the findings, to be published Friday by the journal Science, do highlight how important it is to monitor avian flu -- because the research suggests it might take fewer genetic adaptations than once thought for a bird virus to begin spreading from person to person

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-historic-flu,0,6190795.story?coll=sns-ap-nationworld-headlines

[sybylla]

1. I had heard this suspicion voiced years ago

I saw a program years ago where they exhumed bodies of victims of the 1918 flu from the frozen tundra of the artic regions and found in their remains evidence of the virus. They speculated then from their early research that it was a "bird" flu. When I heard of the outbreak of bird flu in the news, this was the first thing I thought about.

[JoFerret]

3. No wonder they are worried

THAT is a scary thought.

[Fovea]

7. I was worried about that exhumation

Yes we need to know more about the Spanish influenza.
But these are a class of potential weapon I would\
prefer to see not developed.

[Chicago Democrat]

9. They covered that in the NPR piece...

...that guy who did that is working with other geneticists who are experimenting with tissues preserved from WWI victims. See..

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1646810

[Timefortruth]

2. Has any progress been made in creating a vaccine that doesn't

need to be incubated in chicken eggs. It was my understanding that that is the most grave danger about this flu, that the scientists can't create a vaccine to protect humans.

[rodbarnett]

4. Interesting site link - fluwatch.com

Here is a link to an interesting real time tracking site (map) for the spread of flu in the USA.

http://www.fluwatch.com/index2.html

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. It was a couple of years ago, but it looks like updates are not

happening too much.

[rodbarnett]

6. last map update 02/03/04

It is not "real time" as stated, but current as od 02/03/04. Just click in any state to see.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. You are right, I had it in my cache from last year

Ooops.

[Chicago Democrat]

8. The genetic change required

to mutate bird flu to 1918 flu is tiny according to a piece recently on NPR.

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1646810

[hang a left]

11. What was that I remember reading about that deaded

microbiologist that was working with that spanish flu virus. I remember reading that they exhumed a body to extract the virus and were experimenting with it. Anyone?