China to test experimental SARS vaccine in humans

January 20, 2004

Mon, 19 Jan 2004 15:56:45 -0800

AR-News: China to test experimental SARS vaccine in humans

<ar-news

China gave permission for doctors to start injecting an experimental SARS

vaccine into volunteers, in the first such step anywhere and one that experts

said carries risks.

The so-called first-phase vaccine trial, announced by state media Monday, would

test the safety of the vaccine in humans. " The vaccine was found safe in

experiments on animals, including the rhesus monkey, " Zheng Youyu, director of

the State Food and Drug Administration, was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news

agency. Some 30 people have volunteered for the trial, state television

reported. Mr. Zheng was quoted as saying it would be some time before a vaccine

would be ready for widespread use.

The development of a safe and effective vaccine would mark a significant step in

efforts to prevent outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome, which last

year spread to 30 countries from southern China before the epidemic petered out.

It killed 774 people world-wide and sickened more than 8,000. In China, 349

people died.

China says the disease resurfaced recently in three people in the southern city

of Guangzhou, though they don't appear to have spread SARS.

Developing a vaccine is a matter of national pride for China. Scientists from

Hong Kong and abroad have made most of the significant discoveries about SARS,

and scientists in other countries also are working on vaccines.

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