TEMPO.CO, Beijing - The Chinese government is beginning to anticipate an outbreak of a new strain of bird flu. Yesterday (4/11), China's Ministry of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the National Commission for Health and Family Planning, announced its plan to manufacture a vaccine for the H7N9 virus, which has claimed 10 lives since February.
"The vaccine is expected to be released in seven months," a government spokesman said as cited from Xinhua news agency.
Japan is also taking similar steps. Even though the two countries are at odds over the East China Sea region, they agreed to cooperate to overcome the spread of the virus.
Japan's Health Ministry reported that China has sent three samples of the H7N9 virus that killed three residents of Shanghai. Japan's National Agency for Infectious Diseases immediately commenced the research needed to manufacture the anti- H7N9 vaccines.
XINHUA | RTT | THE JAPAN DAILY | AP | SITA PLANASARI AQUADINI