New Delhi, March 12 (IANS) A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) report claiming that the swine flu virus in India may have mutated and become severely infectious needs to be studied thoroughly before being accepted, Indian health experts said on Thursday.
"This is a new study. We need to go through it and research properly. It is important to know how they reached the conclusion. It will take at least one-to-two days' time to go through the study, only then I can comment on it," S.K. Sharma, director, Directorate of Health Services (DHS) told IANS.
The study by a team of Indian-origin scientists at the US university says that swine flu has killed over 1,500 people and infected more than 27,000 people in India and the virus has acquired mutations that make it more dangerous than previously circulating strains of H1N1 influenza.
The findings, reported in the scientific journal Cell Host and Microbe, contradict previous reports from Indian health officials that the strain has not changed from the version of H1N1 that emerged in 2009 and has been circulating around the world ever since.
Mutation is a permanent change of the nucleotide sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extra-chromosomal DNA or other genetic elements.
N.K. Mehra, former dean, research, at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) said it was important to study the MIT report before coming to any conclusion. "It will be too early to comment now without going through the report properly," he said.
A senior official of the health ministry also said that the issue will be discussed with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) before coming to any conclusion.
The flu virus in India seems to have acquired mutations that could spread more readily, the scientist have warned in the study.
UN chief and Biden also reacted, claims Poland; Russia fired missiles in its territory
Amidst the Russia-Ukraine war, Poland said on Tuesday that two Moscow-made missiles had been fire
The Indian batsmen, who flopped on the fast and bouncy pitch of Gakebarha in the second T20, will
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has said that the strategy of Ar
Mock drills were organized in various hospitals across the country on Tuesday on the advice of Pr
India can ask for local trials before approving Pfizer's vaccine
Pfizer's Corona vaccine has so far received emergency approval in more than 5 countries, includin
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday made a big allegation that outsiders are be
The cold is set to intensify in North India. The Meteorological Department has issued warnings fo
Trans-Tasman rivalry takes centrestage in World Cup final (Preview)
Melbourne, March 28 (IANS) Much more than the World Cup title will be at stake when co-hosts Au
Soon the country may get the first electric highway. The government is preparing to build an elec
Earthquake tremors have occurred once again in Afghanistan. The intensity of the earthquake has b
