MicrobeWorld

Just how dangerous influenza viruses can be has been shown by a research project which involved the mixing of very dangerous bird influenza viruses with ordinary more contagious influenza viruses. The researchers led by Professor Yoshihiro Kawaoka from the University of Wisconsin-Madison mixed up the H5N1 deadly bird flu virus strain with the more commonly known H3N2 strain and produced three terrifyingly virulent and powerful new strains.

Influenza viruses are always changing and mutating and the H1N1 swine flu is evidence of this and the fact that it is now on the wane means that it is likely that other influenza strains will come forward to replace it. Some experts say that the H1N1 swine flu might mutate slightly and become more dangerous on its own or it could even link up with another flu strain and work in tandem with it. The H5N1 bird flu virus is still around despite having been largely forgotten by the media since the arrival of swine flu, nevertheless bird flu has killed almost 300 people since it appeared in 2003 which represents around 60 percent of those infected by it.

Without trying to cause panic the World Health Organization is aware that had the swine flu virus killed 60 percent of those that it infected millions of people would now be dead and the world would have been brought to a standstill. Despite all the research done with flu viruses over the last few years researchers cannot pinpoint exactly how they change and are not aware of all the influences that cause the virus mutations.