Thailand and two other neighboring countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have agreed to conduct a joint study on avian flu in humans.

The Thailand-Indonesia-Vietnam joint study, funded by the United States National Institute of Health, is aimed at helping find effective ways in the treatment of humans infected with bird flu to reduce a high fatality rate in the region.

The joint study is also aimed at establishing an effective defense against a possible influenza outbreak among humans.

The two-year study, using high doses of oseltamivir for the first time, requires about 400 volunteers in the three countries.

Source: Xinhua