Washington, April 19 : A US drug authority has approved a vaccine for humans against the bird flu virus.

The vaccine could be used if the current H5N1 avian virus, commonly known as bird flu, were to spread from human to human, resulting in the rapid spread of the disease across the globe.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Wednesday announced the first approval in the country of the vaccine, saying should such an influenza pandemic emerge, the vaccine may provide early limited protection.

While there have been no reported human cases of H5N1 infection in the US, 300 people worldwide have been infected with this virus since 2003 and more than half of them have died.

H5N1 influenza has remained primarily an animal disease but should the virus acquire the ability for sustained transmission among humans, people will have little immunity to this virus and the potential for an influenza pandemic would have grave consequences for global public health.

The vaccine was obtained from a human strain and is intended for immunizing people 18 - 64 years of age who could be at increased risk of exposure to the H5N1 influenza virus contained in the vaccine.

H5N1 influenza vaccine immunization consists of two intra-muscular injections, given approximately one month apart.

The manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur Inc, will not sell the vaccine commercially. Instead, the federal government has purchased the vaccine for inclusion within the US. (Xinhua)

Tags:Bird-Flu | Infectious-Diseases