Samples of a dangerous flu virus sent to Bermuda last year in testing kits have been destroyed, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Cann again confirmed last night ? despite international media reports to the contrary.

Samples sent from the College of American Pathologists arrived on the Island in November as part of a global testing scheme involving more than 3,700 medical laboratories in 18 different countries.

The kits are designed by the World Health Organisation to ensure laboratories around the world are meeting international standards in identifying virus strains correctly.

Speaking to last night, Dr. Cann said he had just finished speaking with the Pan American Health Organisation ? a WHO branch ? to reveal the vials in question had been disposed of in accordance with international bio-safety regulations.

The reason for the conflicting news reports, Dr. Cann continued, was that the regional office of PAHO in Jamaica had not yet communicated Bermuda?s compliance with the instructions to the global headquarters in Washington, D.C. ? the latter having already distributed an international Press release revealing that the Island had yet to contact them.

Pressed over why the H2N2 virus or ?Asian Flu? strain ? which killed between one and four million people in 1957 ? was included in the proficiency kit, Dr. Cann said the question could only be answered by the College of American Pathologists who were responsible for distributing the samples in the region.

?I?ve just got off the phone with the Pan American Health Organisation and confirmed the samples have been destroyed,? he said.

?Bermuda received a proficiency testing kit in November, 2004 and has not as yet received samples for 2005. The tests themselves are distributed on an annual basis to make sure laboratories are performing satisfactorily and for each to lab to test itself against the gold standard. The samples arrive unlabeled and after a series of tests the technicians report to an outside agency who then confirm whether they are right or wrong. Every lab in the world does this both to earn accreditation from the relevant international authority and prove its proficiency.?

Experts from the WHO said earlier this week that the virus, which has been out of circulation since 1968, had the potential to cause a global pandemic if it was released into the public domain.

All those born after 1968 do not possess the proper antibodies to deal effectively with the strain and, as Dr. Cann confirmed, it would therefore spread very quickly.

He was keen to point out, however, that the effectiveness of anti-viral drugs available today would most likely prevent the strain developing into the killer it was in the 1950s ? although the very young, elderly or infirm could still be placed at significant risk if exposed.