THE first human trials of a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu are likely to be a waste of time and money.
The formulations that the US plans to test are thought likely to be ineffective – and even if they do work it will take far too long to manufacture enough doses to prevent a pandemic strain wreaking havoc. Other countries are following more promising approaches, but they are not ready to start trials.
Fears that the H5N1 virus might mutate into a form capable of triggering a human pandemic have persuaded several countries to change strategy. Instead of waiting for…
