July 11, 2005

Vietnam to test new anti-viral medication against bird flu
 

The Vietnamese government would start testing an animal version of VIRA 38 on domestic poultry, as part of its campaign against bird flu. VIRA 38 is an anti-viral medication that was found to inhibit a variety of pathogens including the bird flu, or H5N1 virus.

The testing came amid fears that the bird flu virus might mutate to become highly contagious in humans while being resistant to existing anti-viral drugs such as oseltamivir, or Tamiflu.

It was hoped that VIRA 38 would reduce the likelihood of the virus developing resistance to treatment drugs.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City's local authorities decided to temporarily ban the breeding of waterfowl in areas adjacent to other provinces to combat bird flu. Large poultry farms would also be zoned off in certain districts to ensure biological safety and disease control.