Following successful testing on animals, a Vietnamese health institute has asked the Health Ministry for permission to test its bird flu vaccine among humans.

According to the Vietnamese health institute - the Nha Trang Institute of Vaccines and Medical Biological (IVAC) - the first 5,000 doses of its vaccine were tested on rats and chickens with positive results.

In 2007, the World Health Organization (WHO) funded the institute with approx. US$2.7 mln. This money was used to help build a vaccine factory, which is still under construction, with annual capacity of 500,000-1,000,000 doses. It is anticipated that the factory will become operational in 2009.