Vaccine is resistant to bird flu

Scientists at GlaxoSmithKline in Hong Kong say they have successfully tested a vaccine against bird flu with a very small dose. The second test of this vaccine showed that it could resist both the old and new H5N1 strains.

A doctor injects avian flu vaccine for people in Russia (Photo: Canada)

However, more trials of this vaccine are needed this year before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Last week, the FDA advisory committee recommended the use of a vaccine against the H5N1 virus produced by Sanofi Pasteur. This vaccine is given in 2 doses, each dose of 90 micrograms 4 weeks apart.

* Meanwhile, some patients in Japan use Tamiflu (which is considered to be resistant to bird flu) because Roche produced many side effects. At least two Japanese users of Tamiflu have died of side effects last month. The Japanese Ministry of Health said so far a total of 54 people have died after using Tamiflu. In addition, some other people fell into abnormal mental state after using Tamiflu.

Roche said all flu medications could cause abnormal mental states and the deaths were too small compared to the huge number of people using Tamiflu from 1999 to present.

DKKL