Monday, December 25, 2006
Vietnam decodes bird flu virus genes
Vietnamese scientists have decoded genes of deadly bird flu virus strain H5N1, paving the way for production of vaccines used in humans, local media reported Monday.
The Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute has decoded genes of 24 samples of the viruses which killed fowls and people in Vietnam’s southern region in the 2004-2005 period, Tuoi Tre newspaper said.
The decoding shows that there had been some changes in the genes. Based on the decoding, the institute in southern Ho Chi Minh City was facilitating the production of human H5N1 vaccines.
Last month, the Nha Trang Institute of Vaccines and Biological Products in central Vietnam announced it had turned out 5,000 doses of H5N1 vaccine for humans in labs.
The vaccines yielded good results after being tested on white mice, guinea-pigs and cockerels, the institute said.
It will produce another 5,000 doses of the vaccine in early 2007 for tests at international verification centers.