China meeting warns of bird flu mutation risk
Web posted at: 1/31/2007 1:38:22
Source ::: REUTERS
BEIJING • The deadly H5N1 form of the bird flu virus is rapidly mutating and the world must be on guard even though the disease has yet to be transmitted between humans, experts told a meeting in Beijing, Chinese media said yesterday.
The closed door conference, attended by experts from the Chinese and US centres for disease control and the World Health Organisation among others, opened on Monday, the official newspaper of the Chinese Health Ministry reported.
"The experts said that despite there scbeing no evidence yet of human-to-human transmission of bird flu, the highly pathogenic H5N1 form of the virus is continuing to rapidly mutate, and human infections keep happening," the Health News reported. "H5N1 is a virus that has the potential for mass transmission, and people cannot slacken off in their control efforts," it added in a front-page story.
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