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New Bird Flu Vaccination in Testing

-October 13, 2008

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine is investigating a new vaccine that may provide faster, more comprehensive protection against the avian flu than any other vaccination currently in use. Although still undergoing the final stages of testing, researchers have found that this new vaccination is a highly effective "booster shot," meaning that it quickly builds up immunity for patients who have previously received early versions of bird flu vaccines.

Early vaccines for the bird flu, which were initially administered in 1999, provided immunity from the "H5N3" strain. The new vaccination being tested is unique in that it contains "MF59," a component that boosts the effectiveness and responsiveness of the earlier vaccine.

Currently, researchers worldwide are working with various federal governments to prepare bird flu vaccinations. While some believe that it may only be a matter of a few weeks before another version of the bird flu sweeps the world, others are simply focused on building up stockpiles of effective vaccines, should an outbreak occur.

Details of the Study
Researchers focused their attention on two groups of people:

1. The "primed" group, consisting of those who had received early bird flu vaccines between 1999 and 2001

2. The "control" group, consisting of those who have never been vaccinated for the avian flu

Each group was vaccinated with the new vaccine, which is designed to combat the emerging H5N1 strain of the bird flu.

After only seven days, about 80 percent of the "primed" individuals had already developed sufficient antibodies against H5N1, meaning that they had developed immunity to the new strain of the bird flu within a week.

Alternately, only around 20 percent of the control group had developed the same degree of immunity in such a short timeframe.

Conclusions
Given these findings, it's clear that initial vaccines against early strains of the bird flu have two important functions:

1. Protecting people against a particular strain of the virus

2. Laying the foundation for future protection, as initial vaccines make booster shots for this virus four times more effective than the booster shot alone

Consequently, researchers are currently investigating the feasibility of giving people "primer" vaccines for the bird flu and other flu pandemics.

(Source: BBC Health News)

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