Fouchier vs the Dutch government on influenza H5N1 research

From Martin Enserink at ScienceInsider: Virologist Ron Fouchier has suffered a loss in a legal battle with the Dutch government over the publication of his controversial H5N1 influenza research. On Friday, a Dutch district court ruled that the government was right to ask Fouchier to obtain an export license before sending two hotly debated papers out for publication. Readers of this blog will remember the furor sparked by Fouchier’s experiments in 2011 in which he developed an avian influenza H5N1 isolate that could transmit among ferrets by aerosol. When Fouchier was ready to publish the results, the Dutch government required that Fouchier apply for an export license. In so doing they were applying EU regulations that are designed to prevent the spread of biological weapons. Fouchier applied for and was granted an export license on 27 April 2012. Fouchier’s employer, Erasmus Medical Center, appealed the decision to require an export license for this type of work. It is this appeal that was recently denied by a Dutch district court. Fouchier rightfully claims that such EU regulations put him at a disadvantage compared with other groups. For example, Kawaoka’s findings on aerosol-transmitted avian influenza H5N1 virus in ferrets were not subject to EU export rules and were published ahead of Fouchier’s paper. I can understand Fouchier’s position; science is very competitive and being the first to publish is a coveted position. I am not sure that t...
Source: virology blog - Category: Virology Authors: Tags: Basic virology Commentary Information aerosol avian influenza H5N1 biological weapon Erasmus MC export license ferret fouchier transmission viral virus Source Type: blogs