30 September 2005
China reluctant to share bird-flu samples
(UPI) WHO and U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization officials said senior health officials in the Chinese government are reluctant to share samples of the bird-flu virus that might help propel Chinese scientists to acclaim. "They want to get the international scientific recognition that they think they deserve" said Juan Lubroth, a senior official with the FAO. Global health officials have wanted to study the samples for signs of mutation that might signal a human pandemic in the making, reported the Wall Street Journal Friday. The bird-flu flu virus has killed more than 60 people since 2003. Its has been recently identified in Tibetan ares, including Qinghai (Amdo) and more recently the Lhasa region.