June 16, 2006

China develops new bird flu vaccines

China has developed new bird flu vaccines for poultry and a new technology to help diagnose the disease, the Ministry of Agriculture reported on Wednesday (Jun 16).

When these vaccines, developed by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, are used in combination, they offer a solid guarantee to control bird flu, the ministry said.

Lab director Chen Hualan said the vaccines have not yet been put into full production, but field tests have shown them to be effective in preventing and controlling the spread of bird flu.

State authorities are expanding research into bird flu vaccines. Nine companies have been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture to produce vaccines so far.

A new diagnostic test for detecting the H5 virus can single out H5 subtypes in a little over 10 minutes, the ministry said. The typical test would take days.

China has reported 18 human infections of bird flu since last November, including 12 fatalities. The last case was confirmed on April 27.

The Ministry of Agriculture has issued an emergency order for local governments to tighten controls over poultry stocks to prevent the spread of avian flu from migratory birds.

The ministry also started a national check on the implementation of its immunization policy across many areas of the country. 31 inspection groups were sent to rural regions to assess the effects of the immunisation programme.