A November 1 news release from Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council: H5N1 bird flu forum to tackle future epidemics. Excerpt:
Leading H5N1 bird flu experts will meet today to discuss research to assist the Asia Pacific region’s response to future epidemics. The forum has been organised by the National Health and Medical Research Council.
Jointly hosted with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the forum will hear from leading H5N1 bird flu experts on the need for greater awareness of public policy, improved response to future pandemics and new innovations in vaccine development.
“Australia boasts some outstanding achievements in virology and influenza research, however we need to remain vigilant and build on recent H5N1 research and consider the implications for public health and health policy,” NHMRC CEO, Professor Warwick Anderson said.
NHMRC is the leading funding body of human infectious disease research in Australia, and in the last 10 years has allocated $8.5 million to H5N1 research across 39 grants.
At the forum Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka, University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Tokyo, will discuss his research findings that certain genetic alterations in H5N1 increase transmissibility in animal models. Professor Derek Smith, University of Cambridge, will discuss the potential for H5N1 to mutate and adapt to other hosts.
