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New bird flu vaccine protects within seven days Article date: 2008-10-09 18:08:13
A new vaccine could provide protection against bird flu in as little as seven days during a pandemic threat, scientists have said.
The existing vaccine requires two injections administered four weeks apart, followed by a further two-week wait before the person becomes immune.
However, researchers at the University of Leicester found that more rapid protection could be achieved using a new vaccine which involves a primer jab given up to eight years before an outbreak followed by a booster injection.
They discovered that 80 per cent of people receiving the new vaccine achieved immunity within seven days of receiving the booster jab.
Lead researcher Dr Iain Stephenson revealed: "We have been able to prove in this study that you can vaccinate people six, seven or eight years ago and still get a very rapid response with a booster shot within a week."
The initial vaccine provides protection against a flu strain called H5N3 and this primes the immune system to fight a range of bird flu strains. The subsequent booster vaccine contains the bird flu strain H5N1.
Dr John Wood, a spokesman for the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, told the BBC that the findings are "really interesting".
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