The World Health Organization and the European Centre for Disease Control launched an investigation into how live Avian Bird Flu viruses (both H5N1 and H3N2) were accidentally mixed up with Bird Flu vaccines and shipped to 18 countries.



US-based Baxter International accidentally sent an “experimental virus material,” which mixed H3N2 seasonal flu viruses and unlabelled H5N1 viruses, to an Austrian research firm. That company then shipped portions of the mixture to sub-contractors in the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Germany.



Czech researchers caught the error in early February when testing the shipment on ferrets. The animals died from the inoculation, indicating a live Bird Flu virus. (Full)



[Ed (cynical): Well that is one way of spreading Avian Flu across the globe: Use DHL!]





Update April 28th:

Seems stupidity and greed know no borders. See this post about Swine Flu...



Update April 29th:

A similar incident: Swine Flu virus samples explode on Swiss train



Update May 1:

How many people die of flu every year? How many died of swine flu?



Picture courtesy CDC Public Health Image Library