Future Pandemic.

Bird Flu 'could mutate to cause deadly human pandemic'
(By Pallab Ghosh, Science Correspondent BBC News) 
Source: www.bbc.co.uk  

The H5N1 bird flu virus could change into a form able to spread rapidly between humans, scientists have warned.

Researchers have identified five genetic changes that could allow the virus to start a deadly pandemic.

Writing in the journal Science, they say it would be theoretically possible for these changes to occur in nature.

A US agency has tried unsuccessfully to ban publication of parts of the research fearing it could be used by terrorists to create a bioweapon. According to Prof Ron Fouchier from the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, who led the research, publication of the work in full will give the wider scientific community the best possible chance to combat future flu pandemics.

"We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them by enforcing strict eradication programmes," he told BBC News.

He added that his work might also speed the development of vaccines and anti-viral drugs against a lethal form of bird flu that could spread rapidly among people.

The H5N1 virus has been responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of birds and has led to hundreds of millions more being slaughtered to stop its spread.

"We hope to learn which viruses can cause pandemics and by knowing that we might be able to prevent them" Prof Ron Fouchier Erasmus Medical Centre

The virus is also deadly to humans but can only be transmitted by close contact with infected birds.

 Well.. There you go. A possible mutation from an already deadly virus can wipe out the existence of the human race.

Although it didn`t say that the pandemic will happen in the near future, it is best for us to be aware that things like this can actually happen. And scenes from the movie "I am Legend" may no longer be just scenes from a Sci Fi movie... Okay, did I scare you? Probably not. So anyway, I did some research about the possible virus and I don`t think that the WHO (World Health Organization) will do anything but research about it.

So do you think that the WHO should focus more on this 'possible human pandemic'? What other Int`l Organizations do you think should help widen our knowledge about this? And if the virus does exist, as future diplomats and Ambassadors how would you handle the situation (like handling the media, finding out cures, dealing with deaths.. etc.)?

Comment your answers! Oh and if you have any questions, comment them also and I`ll answer it. I promise!