Vietnamese scientists is going to conduct the second testing phase of locally-made H5N1 vaccine on human, said an official Wednesday.

The first phase of testing on volunteers was reported successfully and the Health Ministry approved the second phase of testing on human, announced the Chairman of the Military Epidemiology Faculty, the Army Medical Institute, Dr. Doan Huy Hau, who oversaw the first phase of testing.

Hau said preparation for the second phase is underway, including preparing equipment and choosing volunteers. The second phase will be conducted in the first quarter of 2009, with the participation of 200 volunteers at the age of 20-40.

If the test is successful, this kind of vaccine will be licenced and put into massive production by the Vaccine and Bio-medical Product Company No.1 in late 2009.

This vaccine is called Fluvax. The production cost for a dose of Fluvax is estimated at VND30,000 ($1.76). Experts at the Central Institute for Epidemiology began researching this vaccine in 2004.

Le Ha