Three mutations could make bird flu a pandemic. Scientists have identified three mutations that, if they occurred at the same time in nature, could turn a strain of bird flu now circulating in China into a potential pandemic virus that could spread among people. The flu strain, known as H7. N9, now mostly infects birds but it has infected at least 7.

China, mainly related to poultry markets. The World Health Organization said earlier this year that all bird flu viruses need constant monitoring, warning that their constantly changing nature makes them 'a persistent and significant threat to public health'. The three mutations, if they occurred at the same time in nature, could turn a strain of bird flu now circulating in China into a potential pandemic virus.

· Twin Peaks is back, in the form of limited event series created by Lynch and Frost for Showtime that’ll premiere on May 21. You can be sure it’ll be. Rhea the tiny bird from Boston who suffers from a disease that robbed her of her of her feathers doesn't know she's different. She's a star on YouTube and Instagram. Early life and education. Cheney was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, the son of Marjorie Lorraine (née Dickey) and Richard Herbert Cheney. He is of predominantly English. Offers news, comment and features about the British arts scene with sections on books, films, music, theatre, art and architecture. Requires free registration. · Pentatonix's Kirstin Maldonado says her first dance at the wedding will be to "Amazed" by Lonestar. It looks like you’re trying to find a page that may have been moved or not longer exists. Please try using our search function to find your content. Are you looking.

THE H7. N9 STRAIN The H7. N9 strain currently mostly infects birds but it has infected at least 7. China, mainly related to poultry markets. Just this week China said it will shut poultry markets in certain districts of two cities after H7. Watch The Caddy Online Hollywoodreporter. N9 bird flu infections were detected, state media reported on Sunday, the latest incidents in this year's more severe outbreak of the virus. Human cases of bird flu have been unusually high for China since last year, with three times more fatalities from H7. N9 in the first four months of the year than in all of 2.

But deaths fell in April for the third consecutive month. At the moment, the H7. N9 virus does not have the capability to spread sustainably from person to person. But scientists are worried it could at any time mutate into a form that does. To assess this risk, researchers led by James Paulson of the Scripps Research Institute in California looked at mutations that could potentially take place in the H7.

N9 virus's genome. They focused on the H7 hemagglutanin, a protein on the flu virus surface that allows it to latch onto host cells. The team's findings, published in the journal PLo. S Pathogens , showed that in laboratory tests, mutations in three amino acids made the virus more able to bind to human cells - suggesting these changes are key to making the virus more dangerous to people. Scientists not directly involved in this study said its findings were important, but should not cause immediate alarm.'This study will help us to monitor the risk posed by bird flu in a more informed way, and increasing our knowledge of which changes in bird flu viruses could be potentially dangerous will be very useful in surveillance,' said Fiona Culley, an expert in respiratory immunology at Imperial College London. She noted that while 'some of the individual mutations have been seen naturally, .. The chances of all three occurring together is relatively low.'Wendy Barclay, a virologist and flu specialist also at Imperial, said the study's findings were important in showing why H7.

Latest trending topics being covered on ZDNet including Reviews, Tech Industry, Security, Hardware, Apple, and Windows.

We recently discovered a bug on Instagram that could be used to access some people’s email address and phone number even if they were not public,” Instagram CTO. Online Shopping for Kitchen Small Appliances from a great selection of Coffee Machines, Blenders, Juicers, Ovens, Specialty Appliances, & more at everyday low prices. I have always been this way, and I was definitely this way back in 1995 when I purchased the domain name LittleBird.com. My inspiration at the time was a colleague.

N9 bird flu should be kept under intense surveillance.'These studies keep H7. N9 virus high on the list of viruses we should be concerned about,' she said. 'The more people infected, the higher the chance that the lethal combination of mutations could occur.'THE 1. FLU OUTBREAK - THE WORLD THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN Lacking a reliable cure, public health groups concentrated on prevention The deadly flu virus attacked more than one- third of the world's population, and within months had killed more than 5. World War I – and did it more quickly than any other illness in recorded history.

Most influenza outbreaks disproportionately kill juvenile, elderly, or already weakened patients; in contrast the 1. To maintain morale, wartime censors minimized early reports of illness and mortality in Germany, Britain, France, and the United States. However, newspapers were free to report the epidemic's effects in Spain, creating a false impression of Spain as being especially hard hit - and leading to the pandemic's nickname Spanish flu. The close quarters and massive troop movements of World War I hastened the pandemic and probably both increased transmission and augmented mutation, researchers believe. The global mortality rate from the 1.

Music, TV & radio, books, film, art, dance & photography. We've noticed you're adblocking. We rely on advertising to help fund our award- winning journalism. We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Thank you for your support.