Animal well being physique backs chicken flu vaccination to keep away from pandemic

PARIS, Could 21 (Reuters) – Governments ought to take into account vaccinating poultry in opposition to chicken flu, which has killed tons of of hundreds of thousands of birds and contaminated mammals worldwide, to forestall the virus from turning into a brand new pandemic, the pinnacle of the World Organisation for Animal Well being (WOAH) stated.

The severity of the present outbreak of avian influenza, generally known as chicken flu, and the financial and private harm it has precipitated, has led governments to reconsider vaccinating poultry. Nevertheless, some, like the USA, stay reluctant primarily due to the commerce curbs this might entail.

“We’re popping out of a COVID disaster the place each nation realised the speculation of a pandemic was actual,” WOAH Director Basic Monique Eloit informed Reuters in an interview.

“Since virtually each nation that does worldwide commerce has now been contaminated, perhaps it is time to talk about vaccination, along with systematic culling which stays the primary software (to manage the illness),” she stated.

The Paris-based WOAH is holding a five-day basic session from Sunday, and can concentrate on world management of extremely pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI.

A WOAH survey confirmed solely 25% of its member states would settle for imports of merchandise from poultry vaccinated in opposition to HPAI.

The European Union’s 27 member states agreed final yr to implement a chicken flu vaccine technique.

Francewhich spent about one billion euros ($1.10 billion) in 2021/22 to compensate the poultry trade for large cullings, is ready to be the primary EU nation to start a vaccination programme, beginning with geese.

“It’s our accountability to make use of different instruments that are actually obtainable similar to vaccination. And this, for animal well being, for public well being but additionally to answer societal challenges,” French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau stated on the launch of the WOAH Basic Session.

Eloit stated the EU transfer in direction of vaccination may immediate others to observe.

“If a bloc just like the EU, which is a big exporter, begins shifting in that path, it can have a ricochet influence,” Eloit stated.

The U.S. division of Agriculture (USDA) informed Reuters on Friday that “within the curiosity of leaving no stone unturned within the combat in opposition to HPAI, USDA continues to analysis vaccine choices that may shield poultry from this persistent menace”.

Nevertheless, it nonetheless considers biosecurity measures to be the best software for mitigating the virus in business flocks, it stated in emailed solutions.

The chance to people from chicken flu stays low however international locations should put together for any change in the established order, the World Health Organization has stated.

Eloit stated vaccination ought to concentrate on free-range poultry, primarily geese, since chicken flu is transmitted by contaminated migrating wild birds. Vaccinating broilers, which account for about 60% of worldwide poultry output, makes much less sense, she stated.

The H5N1 pressure that has been prevalent within the present HPAI outbreak has been detected in a bigger variety of mammals and killed hundreds of them, together with sea lions, foxes, otters and cats.

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Reporting by Sybille de La Hamaide; Enhancing by Hugh Lawson

Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.