April 5, 2022

USDA assessing bird flu vaccine possibility

Rosemary Sifford, the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) chief veterinary officer said they are looking into a bird flu vaccine as the US copes with its worst outbreak of the virus since 2015, Reuters reported.

Supporters of the bird flu vaccine said it could keep poultry alive, stop financial losses, and manage costs of food. But the vaccine would be too late to prevent the spread of the current outbreak that has killed 22 million chickens and turkeys in commercial flocks since February 2022.

The US shunned bird flu vaccines, with concerns that buyers will impose a ban on US poultry exports because they cannot differentiate vaccinated and infected birds. The US is the second biggest poultry exporter in the world and a key egg producer, with exports worth US$4.2 billion in 2020.

Sifford said the USDA's Agricultural Research Service is looking into a potential bird flu vaccine that could be differentiated from the wild type of virus spread to poultry.

She said a vaccine like that would have less of a trade impact, adding that researchers project a nine-month timeline to develop a bird flu vaccine.

China has banned poultry imports from over 12 US states with reported bird flu outbreaks.

Some producers are concerned that bird flu vaccines would be cost prohibitive for chickens raised for meat, as they live for between five to seven weeks.

Jim Sumner, a council member and president of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said the International Poultry Council, an industry group representing producers worldwide, is reviewing the possibilities.

Bird flu outbreaks have been reported across Asia and Europe in the past few months.

-      Reuters