Recently, the researcher of Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of China National Avian Influenza Laboratory Chen Hualan and her team developed a new type of vaccine which can prevent duck plague virus  as well as  block the spread of the H5N1 bird flu between ducks.The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),the World Health Organization(WHO) and the world organization for animal health (OIE) considered the result can effectively prevent and respond the outbreak of the H5N1 epidemic.

The result has been published in the 《Journal of Virology》 network edition.Chen Hualan said the vaccine is in field test,it will be formally put into operation next year.
   
It is understood that ducks are the natural reservoirs of avian influenza viruses, they are easy be infected and carry the virus but appear not to be sick themselves mostly and  rarely die.Therefore, farmers are lack of enthusiasm for the H5N1 avian influenza virus vaccine.
  
In view of this situation, Chen Hualan in the National Outstanding Youth Fund and the "973" project support, lead the research group selected the duck plague attenuated live vaccine as a carrier for the new vaccine research and development with the support of National Outstanding Youth Fund and the "973" project.
  
After 5 years of research, Chen Hualan research group developed the two combined vaccine which can provide protective immunity to influenza H5N1 bird and duck plague , realized a good effect that one vaccine can effectively prevent H5N1 and duck plague.Moreover, the new vaccine using low cost and farmers are easy to accept it.

 At present, the international society remains controversial about whether H5N1 will stage a comeback. The chief veterinary officer of FAO JuanLubroth said: "According to the observation from 2004 to 2008 , H5N1 influenza virus is gradually weakening process, but also appeared the new branch of the virus, which indicates that the H5N1 flu may outbreak suddenly in the autumn or winter of this year ."While WHO and the OIE think that variation is the inherent evolutionary characteristics of avian influenza virus and the new found mutations in the H5N1 virus is not significantly increase the threat to public health. The"Science" magazine of the United States published a commentary in the "News and Analysis"column to indicaten that the new vaccine invented by Chen Hualan and his team may eliminate the warning of H5N1 and then to quell this debate.