Want to control bird flu? Vaccinate chickens!

Vaccinating pet birds may provide a new line of defense. The world has had a vaccine available to help stop the spread of the virus since at least 2003. Its use in other countries, particularly in Asia, has proved effective in preventing outbreaks.

The most recent wave of the disease has prompted more countries to vaccinate their herds. Yet despite the massive loss of life, the financial toll on farmers and the rising cost of eggs and other poultry-related consumer products, America is considering the pros and cons.

The major concern is that vaccination could disrupt US poultry exports to other countries who are concerned that shipments of vaccinated birds could carry hidden infections. Such protests could have been justified when virus flare-ups were more easily controlled. But now it is not so. To prevent future outbreaks, the US should vaccinate its poultry.

What is known as bird flu, or highly pathogenic avian influenza A (H5N1), first emerged in Hong Kong farms and poultry markets in 1997, and eventually spread to humans, killing 6 out of 18 people. Hong Kong destroyed each of the 1.5 million chickens located in the city-state’s commercial farms and local poultry markets. This was a costly move, both in terms of lives and money, but it served to contain the outbreak.

To reduce the risk of future outbreaks, Hong Kong successfully implemented new sanitation, biosecurity and virus-surveillance measures. But by 2001 the virus – spread by wild birds – started showing up again in markets. “That’s why I started focusing on vaccination,” Dr. Leslie Sims, who designed Hong Kong’s bird flu control methods after the 1997 outbreak, said in a recent phone call from Hong Kong. ,

Hong Kong tested the vaccinations in 2002 and determined that they were effective in both protecting chickens from infection and inhibiting transmission. In 2003, the city mandated vaccination on all poultry farms supplying Hong Kong.

Today more than 30 countries have adopted bird flu vaccination for poultry. The successes have been remarkable and go beyond simply removing threats to chickens. In China, the country that has implemented vaccination most widely, research shows that declines in poultry infections have also reduced human infections.

Nonetheless, until the most recent outbreak, most countries – especially poultry exporters – were hesitant to adopt vaccination. There are many reasons. First, mutations in the virus cause vaccines to become less effective over time. For example, researchers in Egypt found that the vaccine strains no longer matched the circulating strains. Those less effective vaccines can give a country a false sense of security – especially when other interventions such as biosecurity and surveillance measures are not also adopted.

Second, many scientists and regulators worry that so-called ‘hidden infections’ may remain among vaccinated birds and slip through safety nets and border controls. This is a primary reason why the US poultry industry and the US Department of Agriculture have opposed the adoption of vaccines for fear of jeopardizing $6 billion in poultry and egg products exported by the US in 2022. But this opposition is not complete.

As costs increase, farmers re-evaluate costs and benefits. For example, in 2015, the USDA stockpiled hundreds of millions of vaccine doses after the worst US bird flu outbreak at that time resulted in the deaths of more than 50 million chickens and turkeys. It was never used – the outbreak burned out before vaccines were authorised.

The ongoing 2022-2023 outbreak is far worse and as a result, many reluctant countries are reconsidering bird flu vaccination. In Europe, France, the Netherlands, Hungary and Italy are testing vaccines and will likely start vaccinations in the fall.

This month, the European Commission agreed harmonized rules for vaccination, including surveillance and biosafety rules that will detect infections (if any) in vaccinated herds. Those rules are designed to enable trade in vaccinated poultry between EU countries. Meanwhile, France is negotiating with non-EU trade partners to allow trade in vaccinated poultry.

America must act now. Earlier this month CBS News reported that federal government scientists are “preparing” to test bird flu vaccines on American poultry. No timeline was announced, but that shouldn’t stop regulators from creating monitoring guidelines (perhaps based on Europe’s) to reassure trading partners. ,

In the meantime, the Biden administration should follow France’s lead, reach out to trading partners, and begin the process of working on guidelines for trade in vaccinated poultry. It won’t be easy or quick; Some trading partners are likely to view the negotiations as leverage to use on other trade issues.

But those talks are becoming increasingly necessary. The current outbreak is a stark reminder that the virus continues to spread, becoming endemic in some areas, while increasing the threat to life and property. Vaccination, if done judiciously, is a proven means of preventing transmission and outbreaks. It is time for the US to join the ranks of countries that are adopting this tool.

This column does not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Adam Minter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia, technology and the environment. He is most recently the author of “Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale”.