Vietnam could produce bird flu vaccine by 2009

A bird flu vaccine for humans could be mass-produced by the end of 2009 if trials on humans prove successful, according to its producer, the Company for Vaccine and Biological Production No. 1 (VABIOTECH).

Professor Nguyen Thu Van, director of VABIOTECH, said experiments using human subjects would begin later this month and could require some 300 volunteers, most likely students from the Military Medical Academy.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Health gave the go-ahead for the company to begin testing on human subjects but approval from the Ministry of Defense is still pending, said Van.

The eight-month experiment will first test the H5N1 vaccine on 30 volunteers.

The vaccine was tested on mice last year and produced positive results.

Five people have died in Vietnam from bird flu this year, raising the number of fatalities caused by the disease to 51 since 2003.

Globally, 235 people have been killed by avian influenza among a total of 372 infected cases, according to the World Health Organization.