Publish H5N1 Papers, Says US Gov’t

The NIH agrees with the government advisory board’s recommendation to publish both controversial bird flu studies in full.

Written byJef Akst

| 1 min read

Save for Later

Listen with Speechify

0:00

1:00

FLICKR, HOBVIAS SUDONEIGHM

National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins announced on Friday (April 20) that he and Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius agree that two recent H5N1 studies, which rendered the virus transmissible between ferrets, should be published in full. The stance mirrors the most recent recommendation of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB), which last month reversed its December suggestion to redact certain details of the studies.

“The HHS Secretary and I concur with the NSABB’s recommendation that the information in the two manuscripts should be communicated fully, and we have conveyed our concurrence to the journals considering publication of the manuscripts,” Collins wrote in a statement posted on the NIH website. “This information has clear value to national and ...

Interested in reading more?

The Scientist ARCHIVES

Become a Member of

Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!

Join for free today

Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
View Full Profile