2/14/13 Olga Tatarovich!

Politics in Inuenza

! Government control and international politics in negotiation of avian inuenza materials Transfer Agreement. ! Indonesias actions in 2007 to withhold samples of Avian Inuenza viruses was a declaration of government control over biological resources. This assertion of sovereign rights resulted in conicting international views which can be characterized as a demonstration of the devours perspectives between developed and developing countries about the fair and equitable use of biological resources and acknowledgment of government role in it. The relevant international agreement ware drafted at the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Health regulations. But every country have their own interpretations of its content because of diplomatic language. So this issues are still under discussions. ! In December 2011 American government ask to sensor research publications of to scientic teams (American and British) which done research on Avian Inuenza and got a mutated strain of it H5N1 that can pass through the air between humans. (Before - it cannot be transmitted to humans). The authorities fretted that the precise methods and detailed genetic data to fall into wrong hands, the consequences would be too awful to contemplate. ! On January 20, 2012 the teams leaders and by 37 others leading Flu experts announced a voluntary 60-day moratorium on all similar research. The aim of the selfimposed suspension, they explained, is to give organizations and governments time to nd the best solutions for opportunities and challenges that stem from that kind of work, and deciding how, if it all, future research should be carried out. Summit of World Health Organization held in Geneva in February 2012 was addressed all this questions and challenges. ! On January 23, 2013 on a news was announced that research of Avian Inuenza will restart in European Union, Canada and China, but scientists in USA and Japan still wait nal guidelines and decisions from their governments.

! After reading reports on research and vaccine for inuenza and other diseases from NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) I read their budged reports and organization structure. I see that this organization is supported by government (and perhaps organized by government), which provided budget for its

operations of nearly 5 billions dollars a year provided, that $300,000,000 may be made available to international assistance programs Global funds to ght AIDS, Malaria and tuberculosis, and remain available. It seems that this organization is a major one in research and developing vaccines. All other are just its subcontractors. It has in a main structure about 18000 people employed and in every division it employed a military personnel. As it stated on its website, this institute not a fund raising organization and because of this is authorized by Congress to accept donations and bequests in support of its scientic mission. Such supports are kept on a separate account from the funding received from Congress. So, because it is gift funds account, to nd who and how much donated to them is not possible. ! ! ! Different points of view ! 1.! Scientists from University of Pitsburgh argue that H5N1s human fatality rate, a staggering 60% for more the 570 recorded cases, means that any benets owing from the research are dwarfed by the risk. 2.! Other say that such work should only be done in the most secure facilities: those rated bio-safety level 4. It is only few facilities of that level exist and they handle things like - ebola, bubonic plaque, anthrax - stuff is so contagious and deadly that not only are there sterility concerns, but high security as well. It is strictly used only when it has been conrmed, with some reasonable amount of research, that there is no possibility of treatment with any antibiotic or vaccine. It is also is very expensive. So, that means to have that level - need more research done before it granted. 3.! Some others talk about that we are An Engineering Doomsday and implored scientists to destroy the deadly H5N1 strains in the name of safety. 4.! ! The WHO organization worries that limiting access to relevant ndings would be difcult to square with its recently updated pandemic inuenza preparedness framework. 5.! The agreement, which stipulates that countries which provide virus samples should also benets of the research - was preceded by 4 years deep resentment and debate and still is on going. So far it looks that nothing was resolved and bridge between all this opinions and rm stands not even close to be build in such a short time. ! Additional opinions

! The person, who is working in bacterial and cell culture research said that in his opinion - that possibility of no vaccine becoming available for this u to be highly unlikely, because the effectiveness of other u vaccines and of a vaccine for another fast-mutating and common coronavirus (chicken pox vaccine) suggest that there is more hope then for fear. ! So rather then asking to sensor the knowledge, it would be better to put restrictions on where this stuff can be held and how it can be used . After all, anyone who can read can nd out how to build an atomic bomb. But getting your hands on suitable raw materials is much more challenging.

We all know diseases are usually developed or become active when person is weak and stressed. We also know that viruses attack mainly people with decient immune system , weak, sick, hungry, stressed, elderly and very young. An example of it was 1918 inuenza epidemic. Whole Europe and far beyond it was extremely devastated by years of exhausting World War 1. It was time also of Russian revolution. All this bring pain, death, hanger, misery, devastation of the land and decompositions of thousands of bodies all over the land. People was stressed, hungry, homeless, abused, frightened. People was devastated and so the land - torn, unhappy land and all life on it live in fears and hunger. Epidemic of this magnitude was a natural outcome of this devastations and fear. Plus we are destroyed and polluted land and water, we dump hundreds of thousands of sewer in Ocean, rivers and lakes. What can we expect to have from all of this? Obviously not a beautiful heaven on Earth. ! Now we have devastations of same kind on a Middle East, so it is not that surprising that new cases of a new virus come from that area (unless it was an experiments). ! It is we are who is dangerous and not any other species , because it is we are spreading diseases and create environments for mutations, create resistance for drugs and etc.. ! Now we all live in fears which generated most of the time articially and because people who generated and inuenced the spread of this fear are have denite purpose and will maintain it at all cost. To be prepare for upcoming devastating epidemics we really need to invest more money and all our efforts to get rid of unnecessary fears and create happier healthy environments for every one instead to fearfully ghting with the Nature or go into a frenzy as to exterminate some species because of our fear and suspiciousness, instead we need to work with a Nature to heal ourselves and a world around us.

Credit: iStockphoto

Live poultry markets in Asia are a major concern as a possible source of avian influenza. Credit: Dr. Webster.