UN official says 'Bird Flu' vaccine may take months to produce
( 2004-01-30 10:09) (Xinhua)
The production of a vaccine
against avian influenza, also known as "bird flu," could take several months,
according to a UN official in charge of the research.
UN Spokeswoman Marie Okabe told a press briefing in New York that Klaus
St-hr, who is leading the World Health Organization's response to the spread of
the disease, estimated that it will take four to six months before a significant
amount of vaccine can be produced.
"While the bird flu's spread hasn't reached pandemic proportions, the WHO
will take precautionary measures," Okabe quoted the UN official as saying.
She added that the UN health agency is currently coordinating efforts to
develop a vaccine prototype to give to manufacturers.
To date only Vietnam and Thailand have reported laboratory confirmed cases of
bird flu infection in humans, ten cases in total, eight of them fatal. The UN
agency, however, warned that without proper treatment, the unprecedented spread
of bird flu in Asia will raise the specter of a human pandemic and cause
disaster for agricultural production.
Avian influenza has been recognized as a highly lethal
generalized viral disease of poultry since 1901. In 1955, a specific type of
influenza virus was identified as the causal agent of what was then called fowl
plague.
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