China has agreed to share up to 20 virus samples
from poultry killed by bird flu, in an effort to help scientists trying to
develop a vaccine, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
WHO officials in Beijing said Chinese authorities had granted WHO's request
for up to 20 live samples, which will be analyzed in international laboratories
to improve understanding of the killer virus.
"We hope that within a matter of days, maximum of weeks, they will provide
the virus samples," Julie Hall, coordinator of communicable disease surveillance
and response in WHO's Beijing office, told reporters.
The two sides are working out the logistics, including how to ship the
samples and which lab they will go to, Hall said.
The shipment is "significantly larger" than the last one China provided,
which consisted of five live viruses from poultry in 2004. It did not provide
samples in 2005.
WHO enjoyed good cooperation with China's ministry of health, which has
shared viruses from human cases.
WHO officials expressed hope the agreement could open the way for more
regular sharing of viruses, which is crucial to determining the different types
of strains of the deadly bird flu virus that exist and how they affect humans
differently.
"We hope this is now the start of regular sharing that doesn't involve the
degree of negotiations we've had and we'll see not only a one-off shipment but
regular shipments," Hall said.
China has reported 34 outbreaks among poultry since the beginning of last
year and 15 confirmed human cases of bird flu, resulting in 10 deaths.
The virus has killed more than 100 people worldwide since 2003, mostly in
Asia. It has spread from Asia to Europe and Africa in recent months.