The H5N2 virus has cost poultry producers almost seven million birds since March, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking action.
The Associated Press reports that the USDA's Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Georgia, is developing a "seed strain" vaccine to give chickens and turkeys to defend them against the virus. The CDC is also working to create a bird flu vaccine for humans, AP notes, though they believe the human risk of sickness from the recent H5N2 strain is low. Officials believe bird flu will see a resurgence this fall, when wild birds carrying the virus fly south for the winter.
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