Canadian, Mexican flu strains match [View All]

Canadian government officials announced Wednesday that they had completed the first genetic sequencing of the H1N1 virus.

Dr. Frank Plummer, the head of the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg where the sequencing was done said his team has worked around the clock for the past week to accomplish the world first.

Dr. Plummer said the genetic code of the virus found in Nova Scotia and Ontario was not significantly different to the virus samples from Mexico. That means that the genetic make-up of the virus does not explain the differences in severity between Canadian and Mexican cases, he told a news conference.

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So what is causing the difference in severity? It is a race to find answers.