China announces bird flu vaccine

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Last Updated: Monday, 7 February, 2005, 08:01 GMT

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China announces bird flu vaccine

By Louisa Lim

BBC, Beijing

 

 

A Vietnamese worker cleans chickens at Long Bien market in Hanoi, 31 Jan

Human bird flu resurfaced in Vietnam at the end of December

 

Chinese scientists have developed a new vaccine for poultry and mammals

to prevent the spread of bird flu, according to state media.

 

The new jab is thought to protect chickens for at least 10 months, four

months longer than existing drugs.

 

Bird flu has killed 45 people in Asia in the past year - mostly in Vietnam.

 

But the World Health Organization has warned that 100 million people

could die if the virus mutated into a form that could pass easily

between humans.

 

A spokesman for the WHO in Manila said the benefits of vaccinating

poultry were still unproven, because in certain cases vaccines could

mask the symptoms of disease in sick birds.

 

The China Daily newspaper said that waterfowl in rivers and lakes would

be injected with the new vaccine.

 

But it gave no details as to how such an ambitious programme might be

carried out.

 

This move, according to the Health Ministry, would cut a key link in the

disease's train of transmission.

 

China has not reported any outbreaks of bird flu yet this year, but has

still stepped up preventative measures.

 

--

Dave Neale

UK Director

Animals Asia Foundation

 

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