Thailand’s residents and tourists will soon be able to breathe easily. It has just been announced that a vaccine designed to protect against the type-A (H1N1) virus will soon be fit for human trials. Next month, the Government Pharmaceuti-cal Organisation will start carrying out human trials the live-attenuated vaccine produced by laboratories in the Netherlands and Russia.

It shouldn’t be long before the vaccine is available in Thailand and will be available for people concerned about contracting the type-A (H1N1) virus. If things go according to plan, the vaccine will be available at major hospitals in all of Thailand’s tourism hotspots, including Bangkok and Pattaya.

In a press statement reported by The Nation GPO’s board chairperson Dr Wichai Chotewiwat confirmed that the virus-seed vaccine has already proven to be safe on animals: “The e-mails say that the virus-seed vaccine proved to be safe on animals and that there were no toxins or mutation,” he said, adding that: “More samples need to be tested before we can confirm the virus is resistant.”

Dr Wichai revealed that this week the GPO would be receiving the first few doses of FluMist, which is a nasal spray live-attenuated vaccine.