Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2012 Feb 24;3(2):e00045-12.
doi: 10.1128/mBio.00045-12. Print 2012.

Mammalian-transmissible H5N1 influenza: facts and perspective

Michael T Osterholm  1 , Nicholas S Kelley
Affiliations
Review

Mammalian-transmissible H5N1 influenza: facts and perspective

Michael T Osterholm et al. mBio. .

Abstract

Two recently submitted (but as yet unpublished) studies describe success in creating mutant isolates of H5N1 influenza A virus that can be transmitted via the respiratory route between ferrets; concern has been raised regarding human-to-human transmissibility of these or similar laboratory-generated influenza viruses. Furthermore, the potential release of methods used in these studies has engendered a great deal of controversy around publishing potential dual-use data and also has served as a catalyst for debates around the true case-fatality rate of H5N1 influenza and the capability of influenza vaccines and antivirals to impact any future unintentional or intentional release of H5N1 virus. In this report, we review available seroepidemiology data for H5N1 infection and discuss how case-finding strategies may influence the overall case-fatality rate reported by the WHO. We also provide information supporting the position that if an H5N1 influenza pandemic occurred, available medical countermeasures would have limited impact on the associated morbidity and mortality.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Berns KI, et al. 2012. Policy: Adaptations of avian flu virus are a cause for concern. Nature 482:153–154 - PubMed
    1. Berns KI, et al. 2012. Adaptations of avian flu virus are a cause for concern. Science 335:660–661 - PubMed
    1. WHO 2012. Public health influenza experts agree H5N1 research critical, but extend delay. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2012/h5n1_research_20120217...
    1. Pavia AT. 26 January 2012, posting date Laboratory creation of highly transmissible H5N1 influenza virus: balancing substantial risks and real benefits. Ann. Intern. Med. E386 - PubMed
    1. Inglesby TV. 26 January 2012, posting date Engineered H5N1: a rare time for restraint in science. Ann. Intern. Med. E387 - PubMed

MeSH terms