US seeks gag on bird flu details over terror fears

THE US government asked scientists not to reveal all the details of how to make a version of the deadly bird flu that they created in labs in the US and Europe.

The lab-bred virus, being kept under high security, appears to spread more easily among mammals. That has fuelled worry that publishing a blueprint could aid terrorists in creating a biological weapon, the National Institutes of Health said.

But the NIH said it was important for the overall findings to be published in scientific journals, because they suggest it may be easier than previously thought for bird flu to mutate on its own and become a greater threat.