The story so far: A two-year-old child in Tikrikilla, Meghalaya has been infected with vaccine-derived polio. Vaccine-derived polio is a rare condition that occurs when the weakened strain of poliovirus used in the oral polio vaccine mutates and regains the ability to cause paralysis. More about polio vaccines The first successful polio vaccine for poliovirus was made by Jonas Salk, …
Ever been confused by the names for bird flu or Spanish flu H1N1? Those are examples of "Type A" influenza viruses — classed as highly infectious pathogens and a significant threat to influenza viruses that make the news. Type A influenza viruses often originate in aquatic birds and spread among bird species — that's then known as avian influenza or …
There is currently an outbreak of a disease called avian influenza in Europe, which affects birds. The H5N1 strain of bird flu is very deadly, with a mortality rate of 50%, which means that out of 100 people who get infected, 50 may die. According to experts, there is very little chance of the new H5N1 avian flu virus spreading …
