"A struggle has emerged between experts who believe the latest genetic data on the H5N1 bird flu virus should be made public immediately and others who fear that such a policy would alienate the countries collecting virus samples and the scientists analyzing them.
"The issue may come to a head this week at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, the governing body of the World Health Organization. Health ministers from more than 190 countries will consider a resolution that would require them to provide flu data and virus samples to the scientific community 'in a timely manner.'
"If adopted, that probably would end the current system whereby flu researchers decide when and how quickly crucial genetic data on the virus are made available to other scientists."
Make no mistake. Telling the world that there is an epidemic in your country has economic and political consequences. Even governments in "advanced, developed" nations can be unwilling to do so. Yet unless public health officials worldwide are aware of the geographic sources of the dangers we face, those dangers are increased!
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