Russia develops three vaccines against bird flu

Russia has developed three special vaccines against bird flu and will test them on human body soon, Health and Social Development Minister Mikhail Zurabov said on Wednesday.

The vaccines are based on the H5N1 strain, which may be dangerous for people, and can be used for making necessary vaccine within five weeks, the Itar-Tass news agency reported.

According to Zurabov, the vaccines had passed pre-clinical tests. The ministry's ethics committee decided to clinically test them on volunteers last week.

Russia makes up to eight million doses of vaccine against bird flu every month. In case of a pandemic, it will be necessary to vaccinate 20-30 percent of the population, Zurabov said.

"The source of a bird flu pandemic will be outside Russia," the minister said, adding that Russia will need four to five months to prepare necessary vaccine and build stocks of antiviral medicines.

"If the threat of a pandemic arises, the state will act adequately and concretely," he said.

According to the World Health Organization, over 100 cases of bird flu among people have been registered in the past three years. Most of these people died.

Source: Xinhua