Why bird flu research should be published

"H5N1 bird flu has caused serious disease and deaths in humans. The virus has not, however, sparked off an influenza pandemic as it cannot spread efficiently from human to human. But recent experiments has shown that only a handful of mutations would allow the virus to spread efficiently among mammals.

The U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity has asked the authors as well as editors of journals to delete crucial details. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Why bird flu research should be published: These experiments seem to have rekindled the debate about the role of science in society. The research on the transmissibility of H5N1 bird flu viruses should be carried out by responsible scientists under adequately controlled conditions and safeguards with the appropriate administrative oversight.

In science, experiments and their results are shared so others can directly use them and advance the field. So, all research data should be published. Slowing down the scientific process does not protect the public, instead it makes us more vulnerable.

The international community must urgently discuss how to guarantee the best conditions for scientific discovery, while also minimising risk. Science must never be impeded by fiction or fear.

Putting the lid on a silent epidemic

"Preventing contamination of stored water can cut the incidence of killer diseases."

To truly understand the predicament of water-related disease in slums, you have to understand these storage practices. The Hindu : Opinion / Op-Ed : Putting the lid on a silent epidemic

High population density combined with a lack of toilets and open defecation means that slum residents are exposed to the faeces of hundreds of other people, and all of these bacteria can get introduced into stored water. Studies of urban slums from around the world have found diarrhoea to be one of the top two causes of death for children under five years.

There is growing international public health consensus about the need to make household water storage safer. A safe water system has the potential to greatly decrease child deaths, hospital visits, and missed days of work, resulting in increased economic productivity.

While addressing the tap water contamination is important, the tragic reality is that there is an even larger silent epidemic of household water contamination that remains unaddressed. This epidemic undoubtedly extends to innumerable other city slums and villages across India with intermittent water supplies, which lead to prolonged water storage. It presents a unique opportunity for the government to intervene on a mass scale with simple, cost-effective interventions to reduce diseases that are major killers of children.