The USDA is creating a vaccine for bird flu

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.

Dr. David Swayne, director of the laboratory, told AP that researchers have already tested several rounds of the vaccine. They expect to start animal testing for the vaccine's effectiveness in early May. If the tests are successful, the vaccine would be produced in the private sector.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Scientists aren't sure which birds would get the vaccine, but they suggested it be given to the "more expensive birds," including the ones used for breeding, AP reports. And the vaccine's cost, which has yet to be determined, would likely be "minor compared to the cost of losing entire flocks."