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MSU professor continues fight against avian flu
Andrew Hazzard
April 28, 2015 10:42:39 AM
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Dr. Henry Wan, a systems biology professor at Mississippi State University, is among the world's preeminent authorities on avian flu. He said it is important we not overreact with fear.
Wan was the first researcher to recognize and document the avian flu. He was a 23-year-old master's student in his native China when he identified influenza in geese in 1996. It was the original discovery of the H5N1 virus.
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H5N2 has claimed the lives of three million birds in Minnesota...Where the flu will go next, Wan said, is anyone's guess.
"Apparently, we cannot predict where it goes," Wan said...
The concern is the flu's potential to mutate and affect new species. The virus is already affecting chickens and turkeys, but Wan said these species are very similar. Making the jump to humans is a taller task.
"They can cause human problems, but it hasn't happened yet," Wan said. "We cannot predict if or when this will happen."
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Wan said the focus needs to be on containing the spread, and though researchers are preparing vaccines, he believes the best way to deal with the initial outbreak is eradication and isolation.
"In my opinion, in the United States, a vaccine is not an effective strategy," he said.
He thinks poultry farms should increase their bird security by limiting the potential for contact with other bird species. The birds in farms that have been affected need to be killed. Security on the farms themselves needs to be increased. For example, Wan said it is critical for workers on farms to clean all their clothing and equipment thoroughly before entering their farms, especially if they've been duck hunting.
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Read more: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/articl...#ixzz3YcYXV85U
Andrew Hazzard
April 28, 2015 10:42:39 AM
...
Dr. Henry Wan, a systems biology professor at Mississippi State University, is among the world's preeminent authorities on avian flu. He said it is important we not overreact with fear.
Wan was the first researcher to recognize and document the avian flu. He was a 23-year-old master's student in his native China when he identified influenza in geese in 1996. It was the original discovery of the H5N1 virus.
...
H5N2 has claimed the lives of three million birds in Minnesota...Where the flu will go next, Wan said, is anyone's guess.
"Apparently, we cannot predict where it goes," Wan said...
The concern is the flu's potential to mutate and affect new species. The virus is already affecting chickens and turkeys, but Wan said these species are very similar. Making the jump to humans is a taller task.
"They can cause human problems, but it hasn't happened yet," Wan said. "We cannot predict if or when this will happen."
...
Wan said the focus needs to be on containing the spread, and though researchers are preparing vaccines, he believes the best way to deal with the initial outbreak is eradication and isolation.
"In my opinion, in the United States, a vaccine is not an effective strategy," he said.
He thinks poultry farms should increase their bird security by limiting the potential for contact with other bird species. The birds in farms that have been affected need to be killed. Security on the farms themselves needs to be increased. For example, Wan said it is critical for workers on farms to clean all their clothing and equipment thoroughly before entering their farms, especially if they've been duck hunting.
...
Read more: http://www.cdispatch.com/news/articl...#ixzz3YcYXV85U