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<p>Public Health England (PHE) was advised that the work undertaken at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison has been reviewed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, in keeping with the institute's implementation
of the United States Government Policy for Oversight of Life Sciences Dual Use Research
of Concern.</p><p> </p><p>As part of this, PHE understand that the research was carried
out in secure facilities with high levels of containment. A key finding of the research
was that people vaccinated with the current seasonal influenza vaccine (which protects
against 2009 H1N1 influenza, a related virus) had some evidence of protection against
the novel virus that had been created. In addition, the team showed that the novel
transmissible virus is expected to be sensitive to the antiviral medication oseltamivir.
Effective counter measures to this novel virus are therefore available.</p><p> </p><p>This
research provides information on the mechanisms responsible for adaptation of avian
influenza viruses to mammals. Knowing what genes are associated with a potentially
severe pandemic strain can help predict the likelihood of a strain emerging and help
devise appropriate counter measures.</p><p> </p>
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