The vaccine gave similar results after being tested on white mice, guinea-pig and cockerels. The quality was tested against the World Health Organization (WHO)'s standards.

In the lab, the group of scientists injected two doses of vaccine into white mice, guinea-pig and cockerels with the second dose being given 20 days after the first dose.

Samples taken from the vaccinated animals 10 days after the second dose, showed that the vaccine produced the highest haemagglutinin (HA) antibody levels.

The tested animals had levels of between 40-320 hemagglutination inhibition units (HIU), accounting for an average level of 76.6-100 percent.

These vaccines have been sent to the National Institute of Verification of Vaccines and Biological Products.

Nguyen Thi Minh Hien, who is directly involved in the research, said the institute will produce another 5,000 doses of the vaccine in early 2007 for tests at international verification centers.

If successful, the institute will propose to test on human beings.

Vietnam has detected 93 bird flu patients, including 42 fatalities, in 32 localities since the disease started to hit the country in December 2003, the Vietnamese Health Ministry said on Nov. 21, noting that it has seen no new human cases of infections since mid-November 2005.

Source: VNA