New strain of bird flu found infecting people, poultry in Asia (Boston Globe)

[Eugene]

New strain of bird flu found infecting people, poultry in Asia
Appears to resist current vaccines

By Randolph E. Schmid, Associated Press | October 31, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Scientists have discovered a new strain of bird flu that appears
to sidestep current vaccines.

It is infecting people as well as poultry in Asia, and some researchers fear its
evolution may have been steered by the vaccination programs designed to protect
poultry from earlier types of the H5N1 flu.

The discovery by Yi Guan of the University of Hong Kong and colleagues is reported
in today's issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The new variant has become the primary version of the bird flu in several provinces
of China and has spread to Hong Kong, Laos, Malaysia, and Thailand, the researchers
report. It is being called H5N1 Fujian-like, to distinguish it from earlier Hong
Kong and Vietnam variants.

-snip-

Full article: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/31/new_strain_of_bird_flu_found_infecting_people_poultry_in_asia

[phantom power]

1. Heh. Charles Darwin says "Hi!"