Bird flu vaccine on the way

Vietnam, where bird flu is rampant, is to produce a vaccine against the infection.

Vietnam, where bird flu has killed 32 people and led to the culling of 1.5 million fowls, is to produce a vaccine against the infection, Xinhua reports.

The country may begin producing the antidote for the H5N1 virus strain later this year and also carry out research on producing bird flu-testing kits, the Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute said.

Production will start if tests of the bird flu vaccines on people show good results. Vietnam has successfully tested bird flu vaccines on mice and chicken.

Research on vaccines against the bird flu virus began in early 2004.

The H5N1 strain was first reported in Vietnam in late 2003. The country has experienced three outbreaks of bird flu among humans, killing 32 people since December 2003.

In the most recent outbreak in December 2004, 17 people were detected with the H5N1 virus. Twelve of them died while five recovered fully.