Discovery of H3 and H4 Viruses in Poultry
Completion of H5N1 Vaccine Production Process for Poultry
On the morning of November 15, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City and the Regional Animal Health Center of Ho Chi Minh City held a press conference to discuss various issues related to the project “Research on Decoding the Genome of H5N1 Avian Influenza Virus in Human and Poultry Samples.”
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, director of the Pasteur Institute, this research has been evaluated and recognized by the Ministry of Science and Technology as outstanding. It is the first study in Vietnam to completely decode the genome and create a genetic map of the avian influenza A virus in both humans and poultry using a large sample size.
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Avian Influenza Virus A |
This is just the preliminary research, and the institute will continue to collaborate with international partners for deeper and long-term studies. The research aims to monitor and identify genetic mutations of the avian influenza A virus and to understand the mechanisms of transmission from poultry to humans and from humans to humans…
Dr. Cao Bao Van, head of the Molecular Biology Department at the Pasteur Institute, added that during the presentation of the research results, representatives from the Ministry of Health were present, and this research has gained recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO has noted that strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus from 2005 have changed not only in Vietnam but also in several other countries.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ngo Bao Long, head of the Epidemiological Diagnosis Department at the Regional Animal Health Center of Ho Chi Minh City, which collaborated with the Pasteur Institute on this research, revealed surprising information: through monitoring virus strains in poultry and the potential for genetic mutations, the center has discovered not only H5 viruses but also H3 and H4 viruses (with 2 out of 4 waterfowl testing positive for H3 and H4 viruses).
According to Mr. Long, the presence of H3 and H4 viruses alongside H5 in poultry theoretically allows for potential gene sharing between them. However, it has not yet been determined whether this actually occurs and to what extent. Mr. Long also mentioned that recently the Regional Animal Health Center has primarily focused on searching for the H5 virus, while the H7 and H9 viruses have received less attention due to their limited impact on poultry.
* The Institute of Biotechnology (Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology) has completed the vaccine production process for H5N1 avian influenza and is ready for mass production. This information was shared by Mr. Le Tran Binh, director of the Institute of Biotechnology, during a press conference on the research plan and the implementation of H5N1 vaccine production for poultry on the afternoon of November 15.
According to Mr. Binh, two units have been authorized by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to produce the H5N1 vaccine for poultry: Central Veterinary Medicine Enterprise 1 (Ha Tay) and Central Veterinary Medicine Enterprise 2 (Ho Chi Minh City). He indicated that if all procedures are approved, production of approximately 20-50 million doses of vaccine will commence at the beginning of 2006 to serve the avian influenza outbreak next year.
* Regarding the H5N1 vaccine for humans, Deputy Minister of Health Trinh Quan Huan stated that the Central Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology is also finalizing the last steps to implement this vaccine on a large scale.
LE THANH HA – K.HUNG
