鳥インフルエンザのワクチン開発?

International News Article | Reuters.com

家禽類へのワクチン開発ということで期待を持たせる内容。昨年のSARS騒ぎで中国も本腰を入れているということだろうか。津波だけではなくてこの分野でも日本には期待できないだろうか?

Scientists in China have developed a bird flu vaccine for poultry and mammals that can fend off the deadly virus and help stop its spread, the China Daily newspaper said on Monday.

The Agriculture Ministry said the new vaccine could "cut a key link in the transmission chain," the newspaper reported.

Using a technique called reverse genetics, researchers at the Key Laboratory of Animal Influenza, affiliated with the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, altered the genome sequence of the virus to create the vaccine, the newspaper said.

"Laboratory tests show the vaccine enables ducks and geese to fight H5N1, the highly lethal strain of bird flu, three weeks after the flocks were vaccinated," it said, quoting a ministry statement.

"The new vaccine also provides at least 10 months of protection for chickens -- four months longer than the existing bird flu prevent