Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

------------------------------------------------------------

February 24, 2003

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Researchers in Race Against Time to Produce a Vaccine"

South China Morning Post (www.scmp.com) (02/22/03) P. 3; Benitez, Mary Ann

Time is of the essence in finding a vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu strain in Hong Kong, an effort undertaken by the World Health Organization and part of a global response plan that was first activated in 1997. Reverse genetics is a new biotech strategy being used to make the H5N1 vaccine, but scientists say the current strain has undergone some antigenic drift, altering it from the 1997 version of the same virus.  The University of Hong Kong confirmed the re-emergence of H5N1 earlier this week, after a nine-year-old boy was hospitalized after being infected by his father, who died earlier in the week.  Only one gene in the 2003 strain, says Guan Yi of the University of Hong Kong, can be linked to the 1997 virus, which came from the 1996 Guangdong goose virus.

Vaccination News Home Page

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.