By Donnah Clark on December 20th, 2011

The Next Outbreak

Scientists in the Netherlands have developed a version of the H5N1 virus that is now transmitted in the same way as the seasonal influenza. Is this scientific advancement or, a potential terrorist threat? You decide.

The Next Outbreak

For most of us, the concern over the spread of the H5N1”avian influenza virus” is a distant memory. A matter exacerbated by media reports of an increasing pandemic and resulting deaths. Our children began carrying handy packs of tissues and hand sanitizer bottles in the backpacks, as we did everything we could to prevent them falling prey to the virus, in spite of being informed by the CDC and the WHO that the chances of human-to-human transmission are very low indeed.

The mind boggles then, why scientists in the Netherlands would consider playing around with the virus to develop a mutated form, one that can transmit the virus more easily than before. They have essentially created a new method of mass destruction, now that the new variant of H5N1 can transmitted in the same way that the seasonal influenza is spread. While the scientists profess that no information will be released about the mutation, and the virus is held in in a tightly controlled laboratory, it is worrisome that this strain even exists. It is a potential terrorist threat in the making, and a difficult issue to consider any positive outcome.

Feel free to share your thoughts below. Personally, I have to insist that this is a complete waste of intellectual skill. If only it were applied to the betterment of the human condition, instead of utilizing a great many years of learning for an unproductive cause.