British scientists to help Vietnam prepare for pandemic
Top British scientists visiting Vietnam today said the country was making great strides to prepare for a potential flu pandemic, but more anti-viral drugs were needed along with more time.
“There are two ways of dealing with this no matter where you are, in Vietnam or anywhere else,” said Sir John Skehel, director of the National Institute of Medical Research at Britain’s Medical Research Council.
“One is the anti-viral drug, Tamiflu, and the other is to have a vaccine. At the moment there aren’t sufficient stocks of vaccine anywhere … the same holds true, unfortunately, for Tamiflu.”
The five-member team visited laboratories in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi where they talked with Vietnamese clinicians who have treated human bird flu cases.
They also discussed plans for long-term collaborations between the two nations, including work to enhance surveillance and epidemiology. Vietnam has been hardest hit by the H5N1 virus since it began spreading in late 2003, logging the bulk of the region’s more than 60 human deaths.
Ireland on line - October 26, 2005.
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