August 29, 2006

India's bird flu vaccine at less than a penny a dose
 

An Indian research institute in the city of Bhopal said they have been able to lower the cost of their bird flu vaccine to just 35 paise or just one US cent a dose.

Developed by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), it is the first bird flu vaccine in the country.

HSADL tested thousands of bird samples, including droppings of migratory birds, after bird flu surfaced in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra earlier this year. India's bird flu outbreak cost the industry more than US$150 million, and more than one million birds were culled, with thousands of tonnes of feed destroyed.

The institute was given Rs.80 million (US$1.7 million) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and tasked to develop the vaccine soon after the country suffered its first outbreak, said HSADL Joint Director Dr. H.K. Pradhan.

The team, with virus samples taken from this year's outbreak, managed to develop the vaccine in less than six months.

Pradhan said although the vaccine can be used immediately after an outbreak to control the spread of the virus as well as for vaccination before an outbreak, the latter is not advised as the vaccine has its own limitations.

Pradhan said the protection offered by the vaccine has been found to be above 90 percent and could last up to six months for hens.