W.H.O. WANTS CHINA TO HELP DEVELOP H1N1 VACCINE FOR DEVELOPING WORLD

By Vincent Low

BEIJING, Aug 21 (Bernama) -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Friday
it encouraged the Chinese government to play an important role in the global
fight against Influenza A(H1N1), including in the area of vaccine development
and production for the developing world.

"We would greatly welcome an initiative by the Chinese government to support
developing and needy countries in a fair distribution of Influenza A(H1N1)
vaccine," said Dr Shin Young-soo, WHO's regional director for the Western
Pacific, in responding to an appeal for equitable H1N1 vaccine distribution to
developing countries, at the International Scientific Symposium on Influenza A
(H1N1) Pandemic Response and Preparedness, here.

"We are also very encouraged by preliminary but promising results from the
clinical trials of H1N1 vaccine," he said.

He also said that he was impressed by China's preparedness and response to
H1N1, given its large population.

China's Health Minister Chen Zhu had spoken on the country's H1N1 situation
and vaccine development progress at a presentation earlier.

The two-day meeting, which was hosted by China's Ministry of Health with the
support of WHO and The Lancet, the world's leading general medical journal, was
opened by Chinese Vice-Premier Li Keqiang and WHO's Director-General Dr Margaret
Chan through a video address.

Some 1,000 people attended the symposium, including health ministers and
experts from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, China, the European Union,
Japan, Mexico, Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.
-- BERNAMA