US begins testing bird flu vaccines in poultry after unprecedented outbreak

The United States government is testing four potential poultry vaccines against bird fluauthorities said Friday, after more than 58 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have died in the worst outbreak in the country’s history.

The trials, conducted by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDAfor its acronym in English), are the first step in a long process toward the possible first use of vaccines to protect American poultry from the deadly virus.

The bird flualso known as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), has killed hundreds of millions of birds worldwide, sparking interest in vaccines. The virus is spread largely by wild birds that transmit it to poultry.

He USDA is testing a vaccine Zoetis Incanother of Merck Animal Healthand two developed by the department’s Agricultural Research Service.

Zoetis said it previously supplied its vaccine to a stockpile of the USDA in 2016, after a massive outbreak in 2015, but it was never used.

Initial data from a study using a single dose of a vaccine are expected in May, while results from studies on two-dose vaccine regimens would be in June, the USDA.

If the trials are successful and the USDA decides to continue development, it would take at least 18 to 24 months for a vaccine equivalent to the current virus to be commercially available, according to the agency.

The government must ensure that vaccinations do not disrupt trade with major buyers, he said Greg Tylerpresident of the industrial group USA Poultry & Egg Export Council.

France declared last week that it would launch an order for 80 million doses of vaccine to be used in ducks in the autumn if the final results of the trials were positive, the first EU member to initiate such a plan.