Gert van der Hoek
In Memoriam - Editor, Senior Moderator
US experts to research Vietnamese?s anti-H5N1 ability
16/05/2008 (
VietNamNet Bridge ? As of October 2008, American experts will conduct wide-scale research in Vietnam on antibodies countering H5N1 that may exist in Vietnamese people?s bodies.
The research, which will be carried out by experts of the US National Health Institute, will be conducted through a collection of blood samples from man, poultry, water samples, and social surveys on people?s awareness of the disease and access to poultry.
According to Dr. Polly R. Sager of the US National Health Institute, it is supposed that antibodies may appear in the bodies of people who are infected with less toxic H5N1 virus types. If this supposition is verified, the people who have antibodies may be partly protected against stronger H5N1 virus types.
A study involving 850 families in the three provinces of Ha Tay in the north, Thua Thien-Hue in the central region and Tien Giang in the south shows that around 12,000 people may be exposed to bird flu.
According to Dr. Sager, bird flu in Vietnam is different from many other countries because in Vietnam, families breed poultry and cattle in the same area. Each animal has their own virus types so it is highly possible to have a combination of flu viruses from different kinds of animals.
The Vaccine and Biotechnology Company 1 is one of three agencies that is researching and developing H5N1 vaccine in Vietnam. The company uses cells from monkey kidneys in research, which makes it different from the two others.
According to US experts, the World Health Organisation (WHO) worries about the safety of vaccines that are produced from living cells such as the cells of monkey or dog kidneys because these living cells may contain viruses that man doesn?t know about yet and germs that can infect humans. To be sure that living cells are suitable for producing vaccines, they must be tested very carefully, which can make vaccine costs very high. They have urged Vietnam to be careful in the current period of testing on humans.
Ambassador John E. Lange of the US Department of State said Vietnamese scientists and the Ministry of Health have closely cooperated with WHO and US scientists in researching the H5N1 virus. If a great bird flu epidemic occurs, Vietnam will be the first to be provided with vaccine.
Vietnam?s National Infectious and Tropical Institute, Children?s Hospitals 1 and 2, HCM City Tropical Hospital and Central Pediatrics Hospital have joined a clinical research network for Southeast Asian flu. This network includes 18 members from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the US, the UK and WHO.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2008/05/783461/
16/05/2008 (
VietNamNet Bridge ? As of October 2008, American experts will conduct wide-scale research in Vietnam on antibodies countering H5N1 that may exist in Vietnamese people?s bodies.
The research, which will be carried out by experts of the US National Health Institute, will be conducted through a collection of blood samples from man, poultry, water samples, and social surveys on people?s awareness of the disease and access to poultry.
According to Dr. Polly R. Sager of the US National Health Institute, it is supposed that antibodies may appear in the bodies of people who are infected with less toxic H5N1 virus types. If this supposition is verified, the people who have antibodies may be partly protected against stronger H5N1 virus types.
A study involving 850 families in the three provinces of Ha Tay in the north, Thua Thien-Hue in the central region and Tien Giang in the south shows that around 12,000 people may be exposed to bird flu.
According to Dr. Sager, bird flu in Vietnam is different from many other countries because in Vietnam, families breed poultry and cattle in the same area. Each animal has their own virus types so it is highly possible to have a combination of flu viruses from different kinds of animals.
The Vaccine and Biotechnology Company 1 is one of three agencies that is researching and developing H5N1 vaccine in Vietnam. The company uses cells from monkey kidneys in research, which makes it different from the two others.
According to US experts, the World Health Organisation (WHO) worries about the safety of vaccines that are produced from living cells such as the cells of monkey or dog kidneys because these living cells may contain viruses that man doesn?t know about yet and germs that can infect humans. To be sure that living cells are suitable for producing vaccines, they must be tested very carefully, which can make vaccine costs very high. They have urged Vietnam to be careful in the current period of testing on humans.
Ambassador John E. Lange of the US Department of State said Vietnamese scientists and the Ministry of Health have closely cooperated with WHO and US scientists in researching the H5N1 virus. If a great bird flu epidemic occurs, Vietnam will be the first to be provided with vaccine.
Vietnam?s National Infectious and Tropical Institute, Children?s Hospitals 1 and 2, HCM City Tropical Hospital and Central Pediatrics Hospital have joined a clinical research network for Southeast Asian flu. This network includes 18 members from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, the US, the UK and WHO.
http://english.vietnamnet.vn/tech/2008/05/783461/