new B/f won’t effect vaccine production

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New bird flu strain won't effect vaccine production: health official  

BANGKOK, Aug 18 (TNA) - A senior health official on Friday said Thailand has been hit by the second H5N1 strain of bird flu virus which has spread from China but reaffirmed that the finding would not hinder the country's ongoing research to produce a local vaccine.

Dr. Phaijit Warachit, director-general of the Department of Medical Science, said laboratory tests found the second strain of bird flu in the recent outbreak in chicken farms in Nakhon Phanom province in the northeast.

Although the newly-introduced strain from China has not yet infected any humans in Thailand, according to the medical science chief, he stressed that lab tests for the new strain in human beings could be still done as before for the first H5N1strain which appeared in Thailand during the past three years.

He said Thailand's laboratories to test for bird flu and human influenza have complied with standards set by the World Health Organization. During the country's current (fourth) outbreak of bird flu virus, lab

officials have tested over 4,000 samples taken from sick humans.

Dr. Phaijit said officials have found it more difficult to diagnose the disease as symptoms from bird flu virus have become more complicated.

''Unlike before, the bird flu virus has now attacked lower parts of our respiratory organs and makes it more difficult to diagnose. Samples need to be retested many times over before a conclusion is made,'' said the doctor.

However, he said the presence of the second strain of bird flu virus in Thailand would not affect an ongoing experiment to make a vaccine against bird flu in humans.

''We just need to produce the vaccines for both strains, just like we did for human influenza,'' he said.

Dr. Phaijit said his department has earmarked a budget of Bt36 million to purchase 100,000 doses of bird flu vaccines from overseas for health officials who may be at risk of contracting the virus via their work.

No decision has been made yet as the department is negotiating with several countries, Dr. Phaijit said, indicating that the department must consult with epidemiologists and other specialists and make a

proposal to the cabinet. (TNA)-E110

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	http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=24180 New bird flu strain won't effect vaccine production: health official BANGKOK, Aug 18 (TNA) - A senior health official on Friday said Thailand has been hit by the second H5N1 strain of bird flu virus which has spread from China but reaffirmed that the finding would not hinder the country's ongoing research to produce a local vaccine. Dr. Phaijit Warachit, director-general of the Department of Medical Science, said laboratory tests found the second strain of bird flu in the recent outbreak in chicken farms in Nakhon Phanom province in the northeast. Although the newly-introduced strain from China has not yet infected any humans in Thailand, according to the medical science chief, he stressed that lab tests for the new strain in human beings could be still done as before for the first H5N1strain which appeared in Thailand during the past three years. He said Thailand's laboratories to test for bird flu and human influenza have complied with standards set by the World Health Organization. During the country's current (fourth) outbreak of bird flu virus, lab officials have tested over 4,000 samples taken from sick humans. Dr. Phaijit said officials have found it more difficult to diagnose the disease as symptoms from bird flu virus have become more complicated. ''Unlike before, the bird flu virus has now attacked lower parts of our respiratory organs and makes it more difficult to diagnose. Samples need to be retested many times over before a conclusion is made,'' said the doctor. However, he said the presence of the second strain of bird flu virus in Thailand would not affect an ongoing experiment to make a vaccine against bird flu in humans. ''We just need to produce the vaccines for both strains, just like we did for human influenza,'' he said. Dr. Phaijit said his department has earmarked a budget of Bt36 million to purchase 100,000 doses of bird flu vaccines from overseas for health officials who may be at risk of contracting the virus via their work. No decision has been made yet as the department is negotiating with several countries, Dr. Phaijit said, indicating that the department must consult with epidemiologists and other specialists and make a proposal to the cabinet. (TNA)-E110