CDC MONITORING EVOLUTION OF H1N1 VIRUS

From Massita Ahmad

ATLANTA (Georgia), May 22 (Bernama) -- The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention in the United States, having seen emerging signs of the lethality of Influenza A (H1N1) virus, is monitoring the atmosphere very carefully to see if there was further evolution of the disease caused by the virus, worldwide.

Nevertheless, "we are encouraged by the fact that the lethality of H1N1 does
not appear to be remarkably elevated beyond a seasonal flu," said Dr Brad
Perkins, the Chief Strategy And Innovation Officer at the center.

"We grow in confidence and understanding of the current lethality of the
virus," he told Malaysian journalists when met at the sidelines of the Atlanta
Bio International Convention.

Dr Perkins is one of the lead investigators in the CDC's investigation on
anthrax.

Some 11,000 people in 41 countries have been infected with H1N1 which has
killed more than 80 people so far, worldwide, including two confirmed cases in
Malaysia.

Asked whether the disease was easing or would get worse, he said, "We
anticipate this virus has and will continue to spread in the U.S. and globally."

He said the question was whether it would acquire characteristics that cause
access to mortality compared with seasonal flu.

Dr Brad also confirmed that there was no similarity between the H1N1 and the
Nipah virus which attacked Malaysia in 1999 although both diseases originated
from the pig.

"There is only the similarity in terms of an emerging disease that has a
potential global impact and we are monitoring the strength of the H1N1 virus in
ways we monitored the Nipah virus," he said.

He said the CDC would probably consult Malaysia on its experience in
handling the Nipah virus through the World Health Organisation (WHO).

As to whether the center was close to finding a vaccine for H1N1, he said
efforts were ongoing at the CDC lab to identify the appropriate strain of virus.

-- BERNAMA