New bird flu vaccine developed
2005-12-26 09:47
Beijing - China has developed a new and more efficient bird flu vaccine which can also protect its massive poultry population against another poultry killer known as Newcastle disease, state media said on Monday.
The vaccine, which was developed by the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in northeast China, is the world's first live vaccine against bird flu and Newcastle disease, the China Daily said, quoting the Ministry of Agriculture.
In addition to being injected, it can be administered orally, nasally or by spraying, the ministry's chief veterinary officer Jia Youling was quoted as saying.
Currently China is using a vaccine that must be injected.
"The mass-application techniques can not only significantly reduce labour costs but also increase immunity among fowls," Jia said.
"The shot will also be very inexpensive as its production cost is only one-fifth of the inactivated vaccines available on the market," he said.
The government approved the vaccine for mass production on Friday, with one billion shots expected to be produced by the end of this month, the China Daily said.
'Can also protect mammals'
It will be used from the beginning of next year in combination with other vaccines, Jia said.
Scientists in the Harbin institute spent four years developing the new vaccine, Jia said.
Newcastle disease is endemic to many countries. It is a highly-contagious viral disease affecting both domestic poultry and wild birds.
Experiments showed the new vaccine can also protect mammals such as mice from bird flu, the paper quoted experts as saying.
Techniques used in researching and producing the vaccine can also help scientists develop a vaccine to protect humans against bird flu, Jia said.
China for the first time reported human cases of bird flu this year, with six confirmed cases so far including two fatalities. It has also reported 31 outbreaks in poultry.
The government announced last month it intended to vaccinate its entire poultry industry, which is the world's biggest with 14 billion fowls produced each year, against bird flu.