Fear of terrorism or a mass outbreak won’t keep controversial flu data out of the hands of scientists, an international panel has decided. The group of 22 flu and public health experts, organized by the World Health Organization, met over two days last week to determine whether data on an aerially transmissible strain of H5N1 should be published whole or in a redacted version.

“The group consensus was that it was much more important to get this information to scientists in an easy way to allow them to work on the problem for the good of public health,” National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci told the New York Times. “It was not unanimous, but a very strong consensus.”

The United States was not part of that consensus, according to the Times. As we reported in DR581, the controversy was initially sparked when the U.S. National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity recommended the results of that research not be published in their entirety. The board, which has no authority to enforce its recommendation, was concerned the full work might provide bioterrorists the instructions for creating a deadly pandemic.

The subject was polarizing for the scientific community, with some scientists championing the need for pandemic research and others saying such work isn’t useful enough to risk the possible dangers.

Although the group has made its decision, a voluntary moratorium on H5N1 work will still continue for a few months to allay public fears stirred by the dissension, Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general of health security and environment, said in a statement.

“There is a preference from a public health perspective for full disclosure of the information in these two studies,” he stated. “However there are significant public concern surrounding this research that should first be addressed.”