The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is “approximately 18 months” away from identifying a vaccine against the current strain of bird flu and is developing a process for distributing it. The Minister of Agriculture recently stated that Tom Vilsack.
So far this year, the USDA has detected bird flu in eight commercial flocks and 14 backyard flocks, affecting 530,000 poultry, according to agency data.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 81 million poultry and waterfowl have died from avian influenza in 47 U.S. states since January 2022.
Since January 2022, more than 81 million poultry and waterfowl have died from avian influenza in 47 U.S. states
“It’s probably going to be about 18 months or so before we have a vaccine that’s effective against the disease that we’re dealing with right now,” Vilsack told a congressional hearing.
Vilsack said the USDA plans to discuss poultry vaccinations with its trading partners amid concerns that other countries may restrict imports of vaccinated birds.
USDA plans to discuss poultry vaccinations with trade partners
The World Organization for Animal Health said in May that governments should consider vaccinating poultry against bird flu to prevent the virus from spreading into a pandemic.
The U.S. government said last year that France’s decision to vaccinate ducks against bird flu would lead to restrictions on French poultry imports.
