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.
Veterinaries vaccinate a chicken in Yichang, Central China's
Hubei Province in this photo taken on November 18, 2005.
[newsphoto] |
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.
WHO enjoyed good cooperation with China's ministry of health, which has
shared viruses from human cases, but encountered problems trying to convince the
ministry of agriculture to share samples.
Hall said part of the problem was that Chinese scientists, like scientists
everywhere, wanted to get credit for their work and follow through on research
into viruses that they isolated, instead of turning the work over to others.
Through negotiations, the two sides worked out an arrangement that will give
the scientists due credit and involve them in subsequent research whenever
possible, Hall said.
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.