SOURCE: MEATINGPLACE, 6/4/15

USDA on Wednesday said it has determined that existing vaccine options are not effective for emergency use in fighting highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

USDA said it will continue to support efforts to develop a more effective vaccine and assist poultry producers with bio-security measures. The agency said additional criteria must be met before a vaccine can be approved for emergency use.

Current vaccines are not well matched, the agency said. A vaccine now available is just 60 percent effective in chickens. The vaccine’s effectiveness in turkeys is still being studied.

USDA said it wants to be sure that industry is in a position to produce enough doses to create an effective control measure.

No human vaccines for HPAI viruses are available in the United States, but efforts are under way to develop such vaccines.

CDC advisory
Separately, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an advisory to notify health workers of the potential for human infection from avian influenza viruses and to recommend protective steps for poultry workers and responders.

CDC said the viruses have the potential to cause severe and sometimes fatal disease in people, but it considers the risk to the general public to be low.

While no human illnesses have been reported in the United States, CDC said doctors should consider the possibility of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 virus infection in patients with respiratory symptoms who have been in contact with infected birds.

People with close or prolonged exposure to HPAI-infected birds, including those wearing protective clothing, should be monitored for signs of the flu beginning with their first exposure and for 10 days after their last exposure.
CDC said more than 40 million birds in 20 states have been infected by HPAI H5 viruses since the outbreak began in December.

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