Saturday, February 18, 2012

"Research on Deadly Bird Flu to Be Published in Full" WHO self identifies as being monumentally stupid.

The full details of recent experiments that made a deadly flu virus more contagious will be published, probably within a few months, despite recommendations by the United States that some information be kept secret for fear that terrorists could use it to start epidemics.

Great job guys. You fukkin fools have no shame and no idea.

But go ahead and kill millions... it's all in the name of scie...err, gubment grants.

1 comment:

Ed said...

Don, where are you coming from on this? Scientists depend on government grants to do their work, yet it is the government who are suppressing this very valid research. Why do you see this as a bioterror threat? It is more likely, in my opinion as a scientist who has worked on the 'flu, that nature is more likely to come up with this virus than man would, even given the information. Thus, this research helps us gain insight into how nature could come up with it and may give us a way to have more accurate and preventative surveillance for it. The more we know the better because even if someone tried to make this a weapon we would have a leg up in producing antivirals and a vaccine. On top of that, how many successful bioterror attacks, involving an infectious agent, do you know of? This is fear of the unknown rather than rational fear.

Read a few of these links and maybe we can talk about this. As a scientist I believe we need to get involved in public debate more so I'd like to know where you are coming from.

Nature and Science, the publishers of the papers (not yet released) have dedicated open-access sections to the arguments for and against publishing this research:
http://www.nature.com/news/specials/mutantflu/index.html
http://www.sciencemag.org/site/feature/data/hottopics/biosecurity/index.xhtml
A viroligist who has openly debated this topic and comes down in favor of publishing the research:
http://www.virology.ws/2012/02/02/dont-censor-influenza-research/
The side in favor of censoring the research via CIDRAP:
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/avianflu/index.html

Sincerely,
Ed