FOLLOWING an astonishing blunder that may have allowed a lethal pandemic flu strain to escape from the lab, researchers are calling for a higher level of security to be imposed on work with flu viruses.
Last week it was belatedly discovered that samples of the H2N2 flu virus, which killed millions during the Asian flu pandemic of 1957, had been sent to at least 4000 labs in 18 countries. The H2N2 was part of a kit designed to test the labs’ ability to identify viruses. The kits have been located and destroyed, but it will not be clear for weeks…
