The World Health Organization aimed a broadside at the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture on Wednesday, criticizing Chinese officials for not informing the global community of the emergence of a new variant of the worrisome H5N1 avian flu virus, hoarding virus samples and for not doing enough to contain the spread of H5N1 in poultry.

In an interview from Beijing, the WHO's top representative for China also suggested the Ministry of Agriculture may be selectively reporting findings of H5N1 in poultry, only alerting the world when large outbreaks occur. 

"It's so sad that we haven't got that information or those viruses from the Ministry of Agriculture"-Dr. Julie Hall, WHO infectious disease expert

"I think the interpretation here with the Ministry of Agriculture is that they report major outbreaks. They might not report if they find here and there a virus," Dr. Henk Bekedam said.

International regulations require that any finding of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in domestic poultry — and H5N1 is definitely one — must be reported to the World Organization for Animal Health.

The critical comments — from Bekedam and Dr. Julie Hall, an infectious diseases expert in WHO's China office — were triggered by the publication earlier this week of a scientific article outlining the emergence of a new variant of the H5N1 virus. The paper was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers said the new variant was first isolated in Fujian province in March 2005 and since then has rapidly crowded out other subgroups of H5N1 viruses in southern China, spreading as well to Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong and Laos. It has triggered human cases in China and Thailand.

WHO learned of new strain from journal

The WHO officials were not pleased to learn about the Fujian-like variant in the pages of a scientific journal.

"It's so sad that we haven't got that information or those viruses from the Ministry of Agriculture and we have to rely on research groups in Hong Kong and the United States to provide that information," Hall said.

She and Bekedam confirmed that virus samples the Ministry of Agriculture promised to share with the world last March and which China said were cleared for export in late September probably haven't yet left the country.

"As far as we understand, as of two days ago, the viruses have not physically left China," Bekedam said. "It's really beyond comprehension to us."

Health Ministry forthcoming

The laboratories that conduct influenza testing and surveillance for the World Health Organization need sample viruses to track the characteristics of the virus and to ensure that prototype human vaccines are up to date. Changes in viral characteristics can render old vaccine strains ineffective, requiring newer versions to be made.

The Ministry of Agriculture hasn't shared any H5N1 virus samples with the global community since June 2004, Hall said.

In contrast, China's Ministry of Health has been forthcoming, the WHO officials said, sharing five virus samples over the last 12 months. One of those sample viruses was used to make a seed strain for a human vaccine the WHO thinks might be effective against the Fujian-like strain. But without sample Fujian-like viruses to test, it cannot be sure, Hall said.

Bekedam said the WHO is aware that the Ministry of Agriculture has been conducting the kind of surveillance that was done by the authors of the article. That suggests either the ministry knew of the new variant and didn't share the news with the global community or its surveillance isn't as thorough as it needs to be, he said.

"This … article very clearly says: If you really look for it, systematically, you will find it," Bekedam said. "That is what is needed."