Laboratory of Influenza Viruses, Department of Virology 3, National Institute of Infectious Diseases.

Outbreaks caused by highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses have spread worldwide and the containment is impossible no longer. During the outbreaks, over 200 human infection cases with 55% fatality are confirmed at the moment and some human-to -human transmission in family clusters have been observed in Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. The potency of pandemic caused by highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza is increasing gradually. Consequently, development of effective H5N1 vaccine and its licensing for vaccination to human are urgent countermeasures for pandemic preparedness. In the present article, the author reviews the development of H5N1 attenuated vaccine by reverse genetic technology and discuss the problems on the vaccine production to be dissolved before pandemic occur.

PMID: 17037360 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]