Genetic Analyses Suggest Bird Flu Virus is Evolving

Genetic analyses of samples from avian influenza patients may suggest that new strains of the virus are developing in northern Vietnam. The samples, analyzed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were compared with samples taken earlier this year, and scientists found several differences. What do the changes mean? Without further testing, scientists are unsure. A worrisome sign is that one of the samples was resistant to oseltamivir, the drug used as a first defense against the virus. In another development, WHO scientists concluded that human-to-human transmission of the virus may be more common than they previously thought. – YaleGlobal