Antiflu textile developed

Korean researchers have developed new textile materials that kill the H1N1 flu virus, Chonbuk National University announced yesterday.

The research team, led by veterinary professor Chang Hyung-kwan of the university in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, said that it has succeeded in developing antiviral textiles that sterilize against hazardous viruses such as the H1N1 flu virus and avian influenza.

The effectiveness of the new materials has been supported by laboratory tests carried out by the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Services.

While 10 rats injected with an influenza virus through ordinary filter were all dead, those infected through another filter made with the new textile showed no biological changes except for a slight decrease in weight, the government agency said.

In separate tests by the research team, the material also proved to be effective in deactivating other viruses.

Following the new discovery, the team has registered patents of the textile, hoping them to be widely used for protective masks, medical clothes and air filters.

(jylee@heraldm.com)



By Lee Ji-yoon