S Korean scientists claim to have developed human vaccine for Influenza A

Researchers from South Korea's Chungnam National University, led by Professor Seo Sang-heui from the college of veterinary medicine, said the vaccine was developed last Friday, 11 days after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supplied them with the "standard virus." According to the researchers, they created a material that is not toxic and can be mass produced cheaply after cultivating the standard virus. The vaccine strain has been named CNUK-RG A/CA/4xPR/8 (H1N1), while its effectiveness has been confirmed through tests on human and monkey cell samples. "The university team is ready to provide the data to make the treatment material available to pharmaceutical companies and research laboratories around the world free of charge," Seo said. The team has notified the World Health Organization (WHO) that the vaccine will be provided with no conditions attached, the professor added. South Korean health authorities, on the other hand, said it had no interest in the recent development of the vaccine, local media reported, Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.