The U.S. and Europe are considering bird flu vaccinations for high-risk citizens; preparations are underway

As avian flu travels around the globe, infecting birds, wildlife, cows and people, some countries are considering vaccines for citizens in high-risk professions. Julie Steenhuysen and Jennifer Rigby of Reuters report, "The United States and Europe are taking steps to acquire or manufacture H5N1 bird flu vaccines that could be used to protect at-risk poultry and dairy workers, veterinarians and lab technicians . . .  moves influenza experts say could curb the threat of a pandemic."

The U.S. is "moving bulk vaccine from CSL Seqirus that closely matches the current virus into finished shots that could provide 4.8 million doses of vaccine," Steenhuysen and Rigby write. "European health officials told Reuters they were in talks to acquire CSL's pre-pandemic vaccine." Canada and the United Kingdom are also meeting with their vaccine suppliers to plan for pre-pandemic vaccines.

The newest strain of bird flu, also called H5N1, belonging to clade 2.3.4.4b, was detected in late 2020 and "caused unprecedented numbers of deaths among wild birds and domestic poultry and has begun infecting many mammal species," Reuters reports. "In March, U.S. officials reported the first outbreak of the virus in dairy cattle. . . .The Food and Drug Administration has estimated that 20% of the U.S. milk supply shows signs of the virus, indicating a wider spread is likely."

As more humans are exposed to H5N1, the chance that it may mutate and be able to spread more aggressively in human populations increases. Matthew Miller, co-director of the Canadian Pandemic Preparedness Hub at McMaster University, told Reuters, "All of our efforts need to be focused on preventing those events from happening. Once we have widespread human infections, we're in big trouble."

Reuters reports. "Dr. Richard Webby, a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital virologist who studies flu in animals and birds for the World Health Organization, said the situation in dairy cattle merits vaccine use." He told Reuters, "If we look at the exposure levels that some of these farmers are getting, it's high."