A team of scientists are testing a new bird flu vaccine that can be mass produced and has proven effective in tests on laboratory animals at preventing the spread of the deadly H5N1 strain of the avian flu.
Testing has now begun on human volunteers. If the new medication if safe and effective on humans, it will allow the United States and other nations to produce a lot more doses of an effective vaccine for the bird flu in the event of a pandemic.
The experimental vaccine uses very weakened but living doses of the deadly H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus. Most existing forms of flu vaccine use viruses that have already been killed. In addition, traditional vaccines are injected through the arm. This new form of flu vaccine is taken through the nose.
The key question now is does the weakened virus produce a strong enough immune response in humans to prevent the spread of the disease? It has worked in ferrets but humans may be a completely different situation.
'That's why these clinical trials have to take place,' explained Dr. Klaus Stohr, the World Health Organization's special adviser on pandemic vaccine development. 'The results they are going to generate . . . are very important because live-attenuated vaccines could make a significant contribution in pandemic preparedness.'
At the present time, there would not be enough bird flu vaccines to protect the majority of the world's population in the event of a worldwide pandemic. Researchers are hopeful that this vaccine can make a difference and protect millions of more people.
Presently, researchers believe that large doses of this medication could help. Large doses would have to be administered and the vaccine would have to be given at least twice to each recipient.
Testing of the vaccine continues. If human testing is successful, the new form of flu vaccine could be available as early as the summer of 2007.
