| ■ Flu Viruses Survive in Ice for Decades | 06.12.11 |
| Influenza viruses can remain dormant for long periods of time in ice and potentially cause illness when the ice thaws, says an Ohio State University biologist. Scott Rogers and his Israeli and Russian colleagues concluded that flu viruses can be preserved in ice for decades and then be released when humans may no longer have a natural immunity against them, United Press International reported. "We've found viral RNA in the ice in Siberia, and it's along the major flight paths of migrating waterfowl" that travel between North America, Asia and Australia. These paths also interconnect with other migratory paths to Africa and Europe. The research appears in the December issue of the Journal of Virology. ----- Yahoo Health |