Hong Kong -- A modified vaccine once used to treat smallpox has proven effective in treating mice infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain, Hong Kong researchers say.

While human trials are at least two years off, the University of Hong Kong scientists, who worked with U.S. researchers, say the vaccine holds the potential to become a ''safe and effective vaccine that can be rapidly deployed for pre-exposure vaccination of millions of people," Kyodo news service reported Sunday.

The World Health Organization says at least 256 of the 408 people in 15 countries who have contracted the H5N1 bird flu since December 2003 have died. Scientists fear the strain could cause a global epidemic.

The scientists in Hong Kong said Sunday their study, published in the latest edition of the Journal of Immunology, showed a 100 percent survival rate among infected mice treated with the vaccine, Kyodo said. Researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health also participated in the study.

Hong Kong -- Three men were in custody in Hong Kong Saturday, accused of smuggling lizards, police said.

Marine police said they found the men loading crates of lizards from a vehicle onto a high-speed boat, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported Sunday. When the officers arrived four men took off in the boat and the remaining three suspects, ages 15-44, were apprehended on shore.

Police said they found seven wooden boxes holding 119 lizards.

Copyright 2009 by United Press International.