A vaccine appears to be safe and effective against the deadliest form of the bird flu virus, say researchers in Taiwan who tested the vaccine in animals.

On Monday, officials at Taiwan's National Health Research Institute said they hope to perform clinical tests on humans, and that the vaccine may be ready for general use by next year.

Several others countries are racing to develop a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu, which has killed more than 160 people worldwide, according to World Health Organization. Most of the deaths have occurred in Southeast Asia.

If the H5N1 virus mutates into a form that can spread easily between humans, scientists fear it could trigger a pandemic.

The virus remains largely a disease of birds, and more than 200 million birds have died or been culled to prevent it from spreading.

Meanwhile, another outbreak of H5N1 has been found on a poultry farm west of Tokyo, Japanese agricultural authorities said Monday. There have been no reported cases of human infection from the H5N1 in the country.

In Hungary, officials have began culling geese after authorities reported an outbreak in the southeast of the country. It is the first outbreak of H5N1 in the European Union since last summer, according to the European Commission.

With files from the Associated Press