Airlangga University produces first ever locally-produced bird flu vaccine seed

Researchers at Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java, have succeeded in creating a bird flu vaccine seed that could potentially kill the deadly virus if it were contracted by humans.

According to university laboratory head Chairul Anwar Nidom, the project to create the vaccine started six months ago after presenting the bird flu vaccine prototype to Vice President Boediono.

The eventual vaccine seed, which cost Rp 2 billion (US$234,000) to produce, resulted from the collaboration of molecular biologists from Airlangga University and others in Japan, he said on Sunday.

“This is a first for Indonesia, because the seed resulted from the reconstruction of a bird flu virus found in Indonesia, in addition to being the first seed to be produced by Indonesian experts,” he added, as reported by tempointeraktif.com.

There are an estimated 170 variants of bird flu found in Indonesia, which effect both humans and birds.

“There is no more reason why research has to be conducted abroad because research could be conducted locally,” he said.