Pigs might fly

H5N1 avian flu

April 2009 saw the emergence of the H1N1 flu virus - the first new pandemic in more than 40 years. A virus which has seen more than 16,000 confirmed cases of people dying worldwide by mid-February, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) - a figure which could be drastically under-estimated though. But as people speculate that H1N1 wasn 't as serious as previously thought - despite the fact that a committee of experts have advised WHO that that pandemic has not yet peaked - comes the news that we may have a new pandemic to fear.

According to a paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), there is an existing flu virus, which could cause a new long-term threat - one which many have forgotten about - H5N1 avian flu, otherwise known as bird flu.

According to WHO records, this virus has effected 478 people and killed 286 in 15 countries around the world since 2003, with Indonesia being the worst affected so far.

Working on the paper, a team of scientists from the US, Indonesia and Japan, led by virologist Yoshihiro Kawaoka at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, combined a strain of the deadly H5N1 avian virus with strains of H3N2 human seasonal flu, creating 254 new, mutated viruses. By injecting them in lab mice, researchers found that some of the hybrid viruses were both deadly (like bird flu) and transmissible (like seasonal human flu) - the kind of genetically mutated superflu viruses that experts have been warning about for decades.

"Some hybrids between H5N1 virus and seasonal influenza viruses were more pathogenic than the original H5N1 viruses. That is worrisome," says Kawaoka.

Spread of H5N1

The reason H5N1, which appeared in humans in 1997, has never given rise to a pandemic is that the virus does not appear to spread easily among people. It has been transmitted between humans only in rare cases, usually among family members in close conditions. But the fear has long been that if bird flu genetically mixed with human flu - in a process called re-assortment, in which two flu viruses swap genes in an infected cell - it could create a new strain that is both deadly and transmissible, as illustrated by the new PNAS study. That's how many past pandemic viruses, including 2009 H1N1, were created, leading to new strains to which humans have no natural immunity, Time Magazine states.

"With the new pandemic H1N1 virus, people sort of forgot about H5N1 avian influenza. But the reality is that H5N1 avian virus is still out there, "Kawaoka said. "Our data suggests that it is possible there may be re-assortment between H5N1 and pandemic H1N1 that can create a more pathogenic H5N1 virus."

During an outbreak of bird flu, people who have contact with infected birds can become sick. It may also be possible to catch bird flu by eating poultry that is not well cooked or through contact with a person who has it. Bird flu can make people very sick or even cause death. There is currently no vaccine available to the public, Medline Plus states.

H5N1 vaccine

After the rush for the vaccine for H1N1 - which many believe wasn't tested sufficiently enough - it seems companies want to be prepared for H5N1. Vical Incorporated have released detailed data from two Phase 1 trials of the company's Vaxfectin(R)-adjuvanted DNA vaccines for H5N1 influenza, demonstrating the potential of DNA vaccines for rapid deployment in future pandemics.

"Our Phase 1 results clearly demonstrated the ability of DNA vaccines against H5N1 avian-origin influenza to achieve antibody responses in the same range as conventional vaccines," said Larry Smith, Ph.D.,Vical's Vice President of Vaccine Research to Market Watch.

So far, the spread of avian flu from birds to humans, and from person to person has been rare. Nonetheless, because all influenza viruses have the ability to change, scientists are concerned that the bird flu virus could one day be able to infect humans and spread easily from one person to another.

Jodie Humphries

Jodie Humphries graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA Hons in Creative Writing in 2008. She has worked for GDS Publishing for the digital group since July 2009. She has previous experience with writing for the web, running her own website since April 2007.

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