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Three new avian influenza vaccines developed in China
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture says that China now has a "solid
technical guarantee" for controlling avian influenza, after developing three
kinds of new avian influenza vaccines and a new technology for diagnosing the
disease.
The new vaccines, designed to be used together for greatest effect, were
developed by the National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory
(AIRL).
Professor Chen Hualan, director of the AIRL, said that though
the three new vaccines are not yet in production, they have been proved very
effective in prevention and control of the avian influenza epidemic. Nine
companies have been appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture to produce the
vaccines.
According to the ministry, China led the world in
developing the H5N1 mark inactivated vaccine. This vaccine will allow the
serological differentiation of vaccinated from infected
chickens.
China promoted the use of its first vaccine product, an
avian influenza inactivated vaccine (H5N2 subtype ) in 2004 when the highly
pathogenic avian broke out in the country.
Scientists used reverse
genetics to alter the genome sequence in the original vaccine to construct
further vaccines. According to Chen, the three vaccines included the reverse
genetics inactivated vaccine (H5N1), H5N1 recombinant fowlpox vaccine, and
recombinant bivalent avian influenza-Newcastle disease live
vaccine.
The newly developed rapid diagnostic strip for detecting H5
avian influenza virus can detect H5 subtype avian influenza viruses in just over
10 minutes, which will be of great importance for a rapid control of
bird flu epidemic in China.
China has reported 18 cases of human
infection of bird flu since last November with 12 fatalities. The last case was
confirmed on April 27. Globally, 225 human infections, including 128 deaths,
have been recorded, according to World Health Organisation
statistics.
The central government is strengthening prevention and
control of bird flu although no new human cases have been confirmed for more
than a month, a health official said Monday.
And the ministry also
started a national check this week on the implementation of the immunisation
policy in most areas of the country. The Chinese government believes the
immunisation measures, will lower the possibility of a large-scale outbreak in
the country.
Editor WorldPoultry
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