This years Flu
Scientific American
has a writeup on another wonderful Chinese product -- the flu.
That Flu You Caught? It Came from East and Southeast Asia
Scientists figure out the yearly travel plans for seasonal flu, which could lead to better vaccines
An international team of scientists has determined the itinerary of the seasonal flu, paving the way for better monitoring and more effective vaccines.
The researchers report in Science that they sussed out the bug's travel plans by studying 13,000 samples of the virus collected from every continent (except Antarctica) over the past five years. Among their findings: seasonal flu originates in eastern and Southeast Asia. The result broadens previous hypotheses that such viruses emerged in China or exclusively in tropical regions.
Something a lot of people suspected but it's interesting that they have been able to nail it down.
Posted by DaveH at April 16, 2008 9:03 PM