“US faces new era for bird flu: Vaccines and eradication efforts underway”

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) — The United States is facing what some experts call “a new era for bird flu.” The country has been battling the largest outbreak to date of the highly contagious virus since January 2022.

What are the details?

The virus poses a major threat to commercial chicken herds and has begun to appear in hundreds of mammals, including a group of domestic cats.

The risk to humans is low.

There has been only one human infection in the United States since the outbreak began, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and nine cases globally, most of them among people who work with birds.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are ongoing trials of vaccines that could be used to protect people if the virus changes and becomes a greater threat.

Separately, the US Department of Agriculture, the US National Poultry Research Center and laboratories at a few US universities are trialing vaccine candidates for use in birds.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service began trials of four animal vaccine candidates in April.

It expects to get preliminary data on a single-dose vaccine this month.

If animal vaccines appear protective, the USDA’s next step will be to work with manufacturers about whether they can be used.

One of the manufacturers, Zoetis, announced on April 5 that it had developed a vaccine targeted at the strains of the virus currently circulating.

The company says it will take about a year to reach distribution in the United States.

Vaccines are already available in other countries, including China, Egypt, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and Vietnam. Some countries are vaccinating their commercial herds.

eradication and vaccination

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 58.8 million chickens have been infected with bird flu since January 2022, as of April 26.

The virus has been detected in at least 6,737 wild birds, with the number likely to be much higher.

And there were outbreaks among poultry in 47 states.

Although this is the worst outbreak in history, improved biosecurity measures have greatly reduced the number of cases of infection in the commercial sector, according to the USDA.

When the outbreak began in early 2022, 51 cases had been detected among commercial poultry. In March 2023, there were only 7 cases.

complications of vaccinations

The vaccination program comes with many complexities, said Rodrigo Gallardo, a professor of poultry medicine and avian virology at the University of California, Davis.

The vaccinated birds will be protected, but with this highly contagious disease, they can still release some viruses that can infect unprotected birds.

It is difficult to detect the disease in vaccinated birds. Vaccinated birds do not always show signs of being sick, so it will be difficult to know which birds to separate from other birds.

Tests also have difficulty telling the difference between antibodies from vaccination and antibodies from infection.

“If you are not able to diagnose it, it can spread more than if you are able to diagnose and eliminate it,” Gallardo said.

Vaccines may threaten bird companies

The United States has the largest poultry industry in the world, with 294,000 poultry farms.

Bird flu has hurt businesses in the United States, but it could be even more harmful if poultry is vaccinated, according to the National Poultry Council.

“The National Poultry Council does not support the use of a vaccine,” Tom Soper, senior vice president of communications for the National Poultry Council, explained in an email. [إنفلونزا الطيور] For several reasons, the most important of which is trade.. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognize avian influenza vaccinations due to concerns that the vaccines can mask the presence of the disease.