Germany to participate in bird flu vaccine trial 04/05/2006 00:00

4 May 2006

MADRID - More than 5,000 European volunteers will participate in a trial vaccination against bird flu, Spanish news reports said Thursday.

The clinical trial will be staged in Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Russia, France and Estonia, according to Spanish sources.

About 1,500 Spaniards will be vaccinated with the product made by GlaxoSmithKline, which epidemiologist Antoni Trilla described as a "pre-pandemic" generic vaccine against bird flu virus H5N1.

It is not yet known how the virus will mutate if it becomes transmittable between humans. The characteristics of the mutated virus could be added to the vaccine.

The current vaccine could help protect a part of the population and prevent deaths as long as a definitive vaccine has not been developed, according to Spanish experts.

Volunteers at five hospitals in Madrid and Barcelona will usually receive two doses of the vaccine at an interval of 21 days. Experts said there was no danger that they could be infected with bird flu.

The trial will also include 1,000 volunteers in Germany, 700 in the Netherlands and 500 in Sweden, Russia, France and Estonia each.

Spain has not registered any bird flu cases so far.

DPA

Subject: German news