15.06.2012

Egypt's National Research Centre has developed the first locally produced H5N1 avian influenza vaccine for poultry, the Egyptian Gazette reported yesterday. The vaccine is targeted specifically to the H5N1 strain circulating in Egyptian poultry and is as much as 95% effective in combating that strain, compared with the 20% to 25% effectiveness of imported vaccine for which the nation has been paying "high prices," the story said. Two contractors have been signed to mass produce the vaccine, which sells for about 60 cents a dose.
Since the virus hit Egypt in February 2006, 60 million birds have been officially culled to date and the costs of poultry production have continuously risen.