Viet Nam Starts Production of H5N1 Poultry Vaccine
VIET NAM - After successful tests, the National Bio-technology Institute has produced a vaccine for poultry against H5N1 avian influenza.The National Bio-technology Institute has successfully produced A/H5N1 vaccine for poultry, saving millions of US dollars a year for Vietnam, according to official sources.
Bird flu entered Vietnam in early 2004 and quickly became a pandemic in the whole country. Vietnam had to pay millions of US dollars to import bird flu vaccine from China. However, the imported vaccines were not completely suitable for domestic fowl.
The National Bio-technology Institute then asked for assistance from some foreign organisations to research a more suitable vaccine.
On 3 November 2005, the institute received NIBRG-14 virus type from a British institute and started producing A/H5N1 vaccine based on this virus type.
Over two years later, the institute announced the successful production of the vaccine. Two phases of experiments – one in Vietnam and one in a foreign country – proved that the vaccine is effective.
The final test was conducted at a chicken farm in Hanoi recently and it was also successful.
Two leading veterinary vaccine producers in Vietnam – the National Veterinary Medicine Company and the Central Veterinary Medicine Enterprise – are now allowed by the National Bio-technology Institute to produce commercial vaccines.
This vaccine will be marketed soon at prices lower than imported products.
Further Reading
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