Update: China to release avian flu samples to WHO

Last week, we wrote about the unwillingness of Chinese health authorities to share their collected isolates of avian flu with the world community, potentially impeding work toward an effective vaccine in advance of a pandemic ("Chinese secrecy stalls bird flu vaccine").

Today, news that China has appeared to reverse course, agreeing to release approximately 20 live animal samples of the virus in the coming weeks. Voice of America, among others, has the story...

"World Health Organization officials say they expect China to deliver around 20 bird flu virus samples from animals soon. Their announcement Wednesday follows a long standoff in which Beijing had refused to turn over the samples that health officials say could help in the global battle against the disease.

WHO officials have been negotiating for months, trying to get the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture to hand over the live animal samples. Health officials say the dispute has resulted from Chinese academics not wanting to give up their research, partly out of concern that they and their country might not get credit for it."

It's anyone's guess at the moment how beneficial these samples (and hopefully those China agrees to share in the future) will be for efforts to track the virus' mutation, but there's no doubt that this is a positive development.