After a year of lag, China sends bird flu samples to WHO

It’s almost a year since China sent bird flu samples to the World Health Organization. After receiving pressure from the world body and many countries, the emerging superpower is again sending samples.

Just three, in fact – two from a recent samples of the virus, and one from an infected Chinese patient in 2003. Prior to this one-year lapse, the Chinese government has sent six samples to WHO designated laboratories. But since the last time (in May 2006), five new human cases have been reported in China, and it’s those five samples that are critical to tracking the recent migration and possible mutation of the H5N1 virus.

Although it’s not mandatory for samples to be sent to WHO, scientist stress the importance of sharing viral samples. China has complained that the samples it sent to WHO in 2004 were used in research that failed to acknowledge the contribution of Chinese scientists, in a breach of protocol for which the WHO has apologised.

Hopefully, the puzzle of H5N1 will begin to fit better now that China has become congenial again.

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