April 17, 2023

US testing several bird flu vaccines for poultry

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is testing several potential bird flu vaccines for poultry after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys, and other birds died in the country's worst outbreak ever, The Straits Times reported.

The USDA's Agricultural Research Service conducted the trials, which are the first step in a lengthy process towards the possible use of vaccines to protect poultry from the lethal virus. There is no guarantee that the government will eventually allow their use.

The USDA expects preliminary data from a US study using a single dose of a vaccine in May, and results from studies using two-dose vaccine regimens in June.

If the trials are successful and the USDA decides to continue development, a vaccine that matches the current virus will be commercially available in 18 to 24 months, the USDA said.

Previously, governments focused on culling infected flocks to control the virus, fearing that vaccinations would mask the spread of bird flu and harm exports to countries that have banned vaccinated poultry due to concerns that infected birds would slip through.

On Friday, the USDA stated that its current strategy of stamping out and eradicating bird flu remains the most effective strategy because it works.

France announced last week that it had pre-ordered 80 million doses of vaccines in order to begin a vaccination programme in ducks in the autumn if final trial results are positive, making it the first member of the European Union to do so.

-      The Straits Times