(Fox News) A controversial Dutch virologist has published research detailing how to make the H5N1 flu virus more contagious— a move he believes is beneficial to public safety, NPR reported.
Ron Fouchier and his team at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands studied the H5N1 bird flu and revealed that only five mutations are needed to allow the virus to spread through the air between ferrets – the lab proxy for people.
So far, the virus has not been contagious in people, but is known to have infected 650 people globally— 386 of whom died.
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