Britain sees dangers in bird flu vaccines
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Bird flu vaccines mask the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus and fail to offer a general solution to the spread of the disease, Britain’s farm ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Crucially, though these vaccines protect against disease, they will not prevent birds from becoming infected and shedding virus,” Deputy Chief Vet Fred Landeg said in a statement issued by the ministry. “Because symptoms of disease would be masked, the hidden presence of disease would pose a serious problem,” he added.
European Union health experts decided on Wednesday to allow France and the Netherlands, the EU’s two largest poultry producers, to vaccinate millions of birds against avian influenza as a precautionary measure.
The deadly H5N1 strain, which has killed more than 90 people and millions of birds in Asia, Africa and Europe, has recently spread to the European Union.
Britain has registered no cases.
Landeg said previous outbreaks of bird flu have been successfully eradicated by early detection, the slaughter of infected birds and the introduction of movement controls.
“However, we of course keep our policy under review as the vaccine manufacturers continue to develop their products,” Landeg added.
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