China has a better vaccine for bird flu
(Reuters)
Updated: 2005-10-16 10:43

China has developed a new and better vaccine for use on birds against the avian influenza strain that scientists fear could cause a global pandemic among humans, media reports said on Saturday.

The vaccine had the advantage of fighting another common bird disease, as well as the H5N1 influenza strain that has spread from Asia to Europe, state television reported. It identified this as avulavirus APMV-1, also known as Newcastle disease.

"What's more, the new vaccine is safer, more convenient to use and cannot kill new born chicks," it said, listing attributes that made it more attractive to farmers than a vaccine they were already using.

For example, the new vaccine could be applied by spraying.

"In addition, the cost of the new vaccine in mass production is only one fifth of that of the previous vaccine."

The country was preparing to put the vaccine into mass production, Xinhua new agency reported. The H5N1 bird flu strain emerged in Hong Kong in 1997, resurfaced in 2003 in South Korea and has since spread to other Asian countries and Europe. It was confirmed on Saturday in Romania.

The disease has infected 117 people and killed 60, according to the World Health Organization, which believes it is only a matter of time before it develops the ability to pass easily from human to human, possibly causing a catastrophic pandemic.