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Canada Warns of Bird Flu as Possible Weapon
Avian influenza could be used as a bioterrorist weapon, according to a Canadian military intelligence agency report, the Canadian Press reported Tuesday (see GSN, March 3). The report, Recent Human Outbreaks of Avian Influenza and Potential Biological Warfare Implications, was prepared by the J2 Directorate of Strategic Intelligence and outlines methods that could be used to create a strain of influenza capable of causing a human flu pandemic. If potential perpetrators intended to cause panic and financial damage, influenza would be a good choice for a biological weapon, said Brian Ward, a virologist at McGill University in Montreal. “To me it’s one of the most logical viruses to use. It doesn’t have to be a really bad one to throw a huge wrench,” Ward said. “If you want to hurt the world’s economy, that’s an awfully good way.” Other experts said weaponizing a flu virus would be difficult. “Flu is a wimpy virus, which I think is the one knock against it. It doesn’t persist in the environment (outside a human) very long,” said Earl Brown, a University of Ottawa scientist who specializes in the evolution of influenza viruses (Helen Branswell, Canadian Press/Canada.com, March 8).
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