First, carefully check the bird flu vaccine

In the article Could bird flu cause the next pandemic?(30/1) concludes by emphasizing that generalization of vaccination in poultry farms will not take place for economic reasons. In my opinion, this framework does not help in making the right decisions. Although the vaccines that are now being tested in experiments lead to good results, it has been shown in the past that the effectiveness of vaccines can be much less effective when applied in practice, which means that the virus is still spreading. So there is no economic reason.

Based on data from vaccine trials, a recent study commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality showed that poultry vaccination can reduce human exposure to bird flu. But this calculation relies on some assumptions. Before vaccination is widely disseminated, it is important to test these assumptions in field research. After all, if vaccination in the field can protect against symptoms, but the spread of the disease is not limited enough, bird flu may fly under the radar. This could lead to subsequent detection and increased exposure of humans and animals.

Egil Fisher

Utrecht

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