Controversial research is set to resume on artificially creating a new highly contagious form of the H5N1 bird flu virus, which could be spread by humans. Rebecca Morelle reports. With just a few mutations, the H5N1 virus can jump from its current form that’s lethal in birds to one that spreads among humans. But when scientists announced they’d done this in the lab, the news was met with shock. And with concerns over containment, the scientists put their research on hold. One year on though and they are ready to resume. Their labs, they claim, meet the highest safety standards and this work could help to fight the constantly evolving virus. But some researchers warn that while the risk of the pathogen escaping is small, the consequences could be catastrophic.
