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The Vietnam News

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Vietnam reports good results from human bird flu vaccine

HANOI - A human bird flu vaccine developed in Vietnam, which has reported the most human deaths from the disease, has shown good results in tests on chickens and mice, scientists said in state media said. "The first test on chickens and mice showed very good signs of immunization," professor Hoang Thuy Nguyen, head of the group developing the vaccine, was quoted as saying in the daily Lao Dong newspaper. "However, we have to repeat the tests several times, while the results of test on monkeys are expected next week," he said. The vaccine would also be tested on people, he said.

Several countries are also researching a bird flu vaccine. The World Health Organisation has said it would make sure all laboratories share their results to speed up chances of finding a vaccine. Thirty-three people have died in Vietnam in two outbreaks of the H5N1 strain bird flu virus since late 2003. Another 12 have died in Thailand. A total of 35 of Vietnam's 64 provinces and cities have been hit by the disease since late December, when the latest outbreak started. However, nine of them have not registered any new cases in poultry for more than 21 days, according to the animal health department. Since the start of the latest outbreak, more than 1.5 million birds have been killed by the disease or destroyed to try to stop its spread.

A regional meeting to discuss the fight against the virus will be held in Ho Chi Minh City from February 23 to 25 under the sponsorship of the United Nations 's Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Agence France Presse - February 18, 2005.