The U.S. government is developing a vaccine to protect poultry from new strains of avian flu that have recently killed birds from Arkansas to Washington state. Within two months, scientists at a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) research lab in Georgia will test the vaccine on chickens to see how well it prevents them from getting sick and dying of the virus, which the government says is spread by wild birds. Progress toward creating a vaccine has not previously been reported. It comes after the H5N8 and H5N2 flu strains have infected commercial poultry operations and backyard flocks in eight states since December. In response to the cases, key overseas buyers have limited imports of U.S. poultry, and the world’s biggest poultry producers, including Tyson Foods and Sanderson Farms, have increased biosecurity at farms. The government has no plans to distribute the vaccine yet, officials said on Monday. Instead, the United States will continue to cull infected flocks and test nearby birds to prevent transmission. The United States is developing the vaccine in case it needs a countermeasure to the containment strategy, said T.J. Myers, associate deputy director of surveillance, preparedness, and response services for the USDA’s Animal and Plant… Read full this story
- Nightmares, narcolepsy and sudden weakness turn Mary's life upside down after swine flu vaccination
- DUP man urges councillors to unite against 'Tribeca' naming plan for £500m Belfast development
- Half of planning applications for housing developments granted by end of 2018
- Less than half of Northamptonshire children received a flu vaccination this winter
- Flu vaccine doing a relatively good job this season
- Sharp drop in number of people getting the flu vaccine as public confidence falls
- ‘Extraordinary breakthrough’: Scientists make ‘Holy Grail’ universal flu vaccine discovery
- 'Not too late' to get flu vaccine as swine flu a predominant strain this year
- Get your free flu vaccine in Milton Keynes
- State spends €2m ahead of test case on flu vaccine side-effects
No distribution plans yet for bird flu vaccine in development have 335 words, post on www.nydailynews.com at March 24, 2015. This is cached page on Business Breaking News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.
