Flu dogma being rewritten by a strange virus

[Warpy]

no one pegged to trigger a pandemic

TORONTO — The World Health Organization's top flu scientist often describes the virus he's studied for years as "humbling."

And Dr. Keiji Fukuda isn't alone in marvelling at the mercurial nature of influenza. Flu scientists repeat almost as a mantra that the only thing predictable about flu is its unpredictability.

Yet despite decades of evidence that influenza will repeatedly rewrite the rules, flu dogma emerges and takes hold. Scientists keen to sift patterns from chaos agree X is true about Y - until the virus sets them straight yet again.
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Though the world is not quite seven months into this pandemic, a number of widely held assumptions about flu and pandemics seem destined for the redrawing board when the dust from this outbreak settles.

Much more and interesting reading at http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gQJKPs4cD29K5qHQFiM3q5sYUIjA

[laughingliberal]

1. Good article. Thanks! nt

[HuckleB]

2. Kick.