Thai health officials want human trials of bird flu vaccine

Thai health officials plan to prod their government to begin human trials of a US-produced bird flu vaccine, an official said today.

The United States has successfully tested the vaccine on animals to protect against the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, said Paichit Warachit, director of Thailand’s Medical Sciences Department. He did not say which vaccine it was or what company produced it.

“We’ve already had preliminary discussions with the United States (representative from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention), and now we need to talk here about testing the vaccine on humans in Thailand,” Paichit said.

Public Health Ministry officials will meet tomorrow to write a proposal to present to the Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra for approval, Paichit said.

He said trials will probably be held in areas at risk of outbreak in Thailand, but he declined to give a timeframe for when the first phase of the trials would start.

The bird flu outbreak that swept through Asia beginning last year killed millions of ducks and chickens, and resulted in the culling of tens of millions more. The disease has killed 46 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia.

World Health Organisation experts fear the H5N1 strain will trigger a global influenza pandemic that could kill millions around the world.

Last month, US health officials said the government was preparing to test a bird flu vaccine and stockpile both vaccine and anti-viral drugs.

Two million doses of vaccine are being stored in bulk form for possible emergency use and to test whether it maintains its potency, they said.