An international research center concentrating on infectious diseases is planning to open a laboratory in Bangladesh, to aid in the effort of detecting early on any possible outbreaks of the bird flu virus. In the distant future, the laboratory will also concentrate on developing a low-cost vaccine for poultry to protect against the feared avian flu disease. Although no case of such an infection has yet been found in Bangladesh, health officials state the country is at risk after outbreaks have been signalled in neighbouring countries India and Myanmar. A collaboration with the United States Department of Health Services will ensure the laboratory will be set up within the next year.
A number of countries across Asia are working on developing a drug or vaccine for the disease, with one of India’s top animal disease research laboratory announcing recently that it was close to developing its own vaccine against avian flu in poultry. Vietnam is also working on producing a vaccine for the H5N1 strain of the virus, which has spread rapidly from its first outbreak in Hong Kong, about 8 years ago.
