Some researchers are concerned that vaccinating, if not done carefully, will allow H5N1 to persist and continue to mix with strains in wild birds, with the risk that it might evolve to spread among people. The risk for the European Union and United States, although low, is probably the highest since H5N1 emerged 25 years ago, Webby says. “We really don’t want this virus lurking around in poultry farms,” adds Adel Talaat, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The campaign also paid off for Chinese farmers, who resumed producing broiler chickens, according to a. And the United States continued to accept Chinese poultry products, showing trade barriers are not insurmountable. Vaccines also benefit animal welfare by reducing the need to cull flocks, adds Chen, who “strongly” recommends vaccinating poultry against H5 strains.
One vaccine, Volvac Best, is made by Boehringer Ingelheim and already used in countries outside Europe, including Mexico and Egypt, to immunize chickens against Newcastle disease and H5N1. Ceva created the other vaccine, the first RNA vaccine to be tested in poultry, specifically for ducks. Results should be available by the end of the year, says Gilles Salvat, a veterinary health expert at the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety.
Well this is horrific