Vaccines stand as a key weapon in combating bird flu
Feb 18, 2024
Vaccines are considered one of the most important tools in medicine for preventing infectious diseases. The World Health Organization has stated, "With the exception of safe water, no other modality, not even antibiotics, has had such a major effect on reducing mortality.”
Researchers and scientists such as Jonas Salk, Albert Sabin, Hilary Koprowski, and John Enders became pioneers in the field of medicine after developing vaccines that significantly improved global human health.
The fight against Covid-19 was primarily waged through vaccines; the eyes of the world anxiously awaited the initial vaccination trial results, and their approval brought hope to humanity.
Outbreaks of diseases like measles and whooping cough are strongly correlated with decreased vaccination rates in the population. So, why is there reluctance to use vaccines as a tool to combat Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI), which severely affects poultry flocks, wild birds, marine mammals, and poses a potential threat of a global pandemic due to its zoonotic nature? Vaccines are not a perfect solution, but, is culling millions of poultry (over 81 million birds in 47 states in the US alone since the beginning of 2022) the way veterinary medicine should handle diseases in 2024?
Those opposed to the use of vaccines claim vaccines are expected to exert "evolutionary pressure" on the virus, but the fact is that the virus constantly changes without their use. Concerns about spreading the virus from vaccinated flocks and risks to humans? Appropriate monitoring measures can address these concerns.
Trade restrictions? While they are imposed on countries reporting outbreaks or using vaccines preventively, migratory birds move freely between countries and continents, posing a significant dispersal risk compared to commercial poultry or chicken products that can be monitored and controlled.
Countries that used vaccines to combat avian flu have seen success in many cases, with failures often attributed to vaccine quality rather than professional judgment.
A policy solely based on stamping out, without using vaccines, might be the preferred approach in countries with low HPAI incidence, seasonal outbreaks, and minimal economic and environmental damage. However, this is not the case in the USA and certain European countries.
Vaccine technology has developed impressively in recent years, and while not perfect, they are essential in dealing with widespread viral diseases that cause significant damage to the poultry industry, wildlife populations, and pose potential risks to public health. The virus is now widespread; therefore, it's appropriate for an important tool like vaccines to be integrated in a controlled manner, based on risk assessment, and accompanied by appropriate monitoring to reduce damage and the spread of the virus, which has impacted birds on every continent except Oceania.
Nati Elkin
