Bird Flu Vaccine Seen for 2007

By GJ

An effective bird flu vaccine for humans could be mass produced in 2007. The vaccine has been successful in clinical tests, and will only cost around $7. If the product is approved by regulators, Europe’s biggest pharmaceuticals group say that they can make hundreds of million of doses next year. The company that made the vaccine is called GlaxoSmithKline Plc, they are talking to other big foundations like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria about funding the vaccine (H5N1) in poor countries.

GlaxoSmithKline believes that its H5N1 vaccine will work more efficiently that rivals because of the proprietary adjuvant used. Adjuvants are additives put into the vaccines that enhance the immune system and make it respond more efficiently.

The bird flu has been spread throughout three continents in three years. Mostly avian influenza is spread bird-to-bird, but it can also be transmitted bird-to-human and even human-to-human. This is not good because if a lot of people get the bird flu, we won’t even need the birds to transmit it. Over 100 people have been killed by this type of influenza. Many poor countries do not have the money to help the people with the bird flu, but GlaxoSmithKline is funding for the poor countries so hopefully, many people in poor countries will get a vaccine.

We are all hoping that Glaxo gets their vaccine out before the bird flu becomes a pandemic. But our future is looking promising thanks to the H5N1 vaccine.

Source: www.reuters.com

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