British scientists have tested a bird flu vaccine in case the deadly virus mutates and infects humans on a large scale. I can reveal.
While scientific advisers believe the risk of avian influenza infecting humans on a large scale remains low, FluMap’s government task force fears the virus could mutate and potentially cause an even deadlier pandemic than Covid-19.
As a result, health officials are bracing for the worst-case scenario as stockpiles of human avian influenza vaccine seeds are already held at the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC).
Professor Wendy Barclay, FluMap member working on the largest bird eruption in UK history, said I that the vaccine showed signs of success.
The vaccine was originally developed for a different strain of the H5N1 virus but has been tested against the current version 2.3.4.4b, which has devastating effects on poultry farmers and wild birds.
Professor Barclay, chair of infectious diseases at Imperial College London, said: “We have captured so-called seed strains of all these dangerous viruses.
“They are not a perfect fit because the virus always mutates a little. But I understand that the current vaccine against the H5N1 strain that we had a year or two ago has been tested and cross-reacts with the current strain.
“We expect this to work well if the current strain mutates and causes mass infection in humans, which I think is considered low risk at the moment.”
Another FluMap scientist, Professor Paul Digard, professor of virology at the Roslyn Institute at the University of Edinburgh, added that the UK’s current supply of avian flu vaccine could easily be increased if the disease became more contagious to humans.
“Vaccine stocks are ready for this,” Professor Digard said. “I know that NIBSC will have small stocks of vaccines that can be replenished. This will be quite consistent with the virus when it changes and becomes contagious to humans.”
Official figures from the World Health Organization show that 868 cases of human infection with the H5N1 avian influenza virus have been reported over the past 20 years. The government estimates the death rate for people infected with avian flu at 60 percent, compared to a pre-Covid-19 peak death rate of just 2 percent.
Another leading virologist suggested that if any vaccines are available to humans at all, the government should consider protecting those most vulnerable to contracting the disease, even if the current strain, which killed nearly four million people over the summer, killed a bird. in the UK does not mutate and does not cause mass human infection.
Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said the current massive bird outbreak poses a serious “silent threat” to public health.
“This is already a pandemic in birds all over the world, and the world must work to ensure that it does not turn into a pandemic in humans,” she said.
“Because the mortality rate among humans is high, around 60 percent, it is important that we are prepared for any mutation, however unlikely it may seem at the moment, that it will lead to easy transmission to humans.
“If there is a safe and effective vaccine, then there is a reason to vaccinate risk groups now – priority groups such as poultry farmers, people working in poultry factories. It’s good to vaccinate communities where the virus can spread quickly.”
On Thursday, I showed that while the risk to humans is currently low, public health officials are concerned that the mutation could cause avian influenza to become airborne and spread between people.
It is also known that the UK Animal and Plant Health Agency has confirmed transmission of avian influenza to wild mammals such as foxes, badgers and otters, as well as marine animals such as seals and dolphins, in and around the UK and around the world. . Europe and the USA.
Professor Barclay said: “Avian influenza poses a significant ongoing threat to human and animal health.
“We are looking for signs that the virus is mutating and potentially airborne. That’s how pandemics happen.”
In June, the government launched a consortium of scientific organizations to fight the worst outbreak of bird flu in history, which has already killed nearly four million birds, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, in the UK and nearly 100 million birds worldwide.
Source: I News
I’m Raymond Molina, a professional writer and journalist with over 5 years of experience in the media industry. I currently work for 24 News Reporters, where I write for the health section of their news website. In my role, I am responsible for researching and writing stories on current health trends and issues. My articles are often seen as thought-provoking pieces that provide valuable insight into the state of society’s wellbeing.