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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Fears of new deadly super-flu which 'could spread to Britain within 24 hours'

Via Mail Online, a headline which screams panic :

" A new deadly strain of super-flu could spread to Britain within 24 hours, experts have warned.

The potential for bird flu and human flu to combine and form a new virus has been described as 'one of the biggest biological threats of our time'.

The alert comes as people have started to fall victim to seasonal flu and the more virulent swine flu at the same time, according to the Daily Express.

This creates the risk of a lethal mutation, leading to an 'ominous' super-flu virus to which humans have almost no immunity, said scientists.

Dr Peter Hotez, a world-renowned infectious disease expert, said: 'Highly infectious strains of the virus against which humans have little defence can spread from one continent to another within 24 hours.'

He said the detection of the rare double-flu infection highlighted the need for extreme vigilance against new killer strains around the world.

'We are required to remain vigilant against one of the biggest biological threats of our time,' added Dr Hotez, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

The news comes as Britain’s winter flu season gets underway, amid fears the country could face one of the worst outbreaks of the disease in years."

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