Japanese health experts yesterday urged their Government to prepare a vaccine against the H5N1 virus, the Kyodo news agency reported in Tokyo. The panel, chaired by Shudo Yamazaki, director of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, also called for an increase in medical institutions that monitor infections of influenza. There are now 2,461 such facilities throughout the country.
The panel, which drew up the recommendation during a meeting at the Health and Welfare Ministry, asked the Government to study how a large-scale vaccination programme might be implemented and to determine which hospitals would accept patients if the bird flu spread to Japan.
It said traditional methods of preventing flu - adequate rest, proper nutrition, avoiding crowds, and the wearing of a gauze mask - would help people avoid the new flu strain.
