Chen Hualan, a professor at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HVRI-CAAS) on Saturday received the L'Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Award for her ground-breaking research on the avian flu virus.

The award ceremony, which took place in Paris, recognized five exemplary women for their contributions in the field of scientific research. The five winners were selected from more than 2,600 nominees by an independent jury of 13 prominent scientists from the international scientific community.

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"By getting this award that means my contribution to science has been recognized in a higher level. So, that's why I think this is important to me, it means a lot," Hualan said, according to CCTV America.

Hualan 's extraordinary work on the bird flu virus as well as her contribution to the development and use of effective vaccines against avian influenza granted her worldwide recognition. According to the HVRI-CAAS, a staggering 114 billion doses of her two innovative flu vaccines have been used to save lives in China and South East Asia.

"My goal is to use my knowledge and my expertise to try to protect animals and humans from this deadly virus and it will be very, very lucky if we can eliminate this virus in the near or far future," Hualan said.

Hualan was heavily criticised a few years ago for mixing flu strains, an act that some labelled as irresponsible, but she maintains that her work was aimed at determining whether or not the virus can mutate and cause a pandemic among humans. The answer to that question was of vital importance as the deadly virus has a mortality rate of 60%.

Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, the president of the L'Oreal UNESCO jury, congratulated Hualan for her life-saving research and applauded her relentless efforts towards understanding avian influenzas and its impact on humans.

Thw L'Oreal UNESCO Women in Science Award, which was created by the L'Oréal Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO in 1998, recognizes five leading female scientists, one from each continent (Africa & the Arab States, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America), for their contribution in scientific research. Five Chinese women have received the award for their work in diverse fields.

TagsFlu, influenza, avian flu, Avian influenza, highly pathogenic avian influenza, H7N9 avian flu, UNESCO, Science news, Veterinary Medicine