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Robert F Kennedy Jr is cautioning against vaccinating chickens. bird flu amid concerns a "leaky" vaccine might spawn a more dangerous new variant of the virus.
The recently appointed health secretary stated that if a bird flu The vaccine may not provide full protection against infections; however, it has the potential to encourage the development of new mutations. could spread to humans .
RFK Jr stated "all of his organizations" - the FDA , CDC , along with organizations such as the National Institutes of Health—recommend against vaccinating birds.
If you use a vaccine that doesn’t offer complete protection, known as a non-sterilizing vaccine, it won’t entirely shield against the disease. Essentially, these vaccinated groups become hotspots for viral mutations.
'Your chances of jumping to animals increase significantly if you proceed with that.'
The serious alerts follow the announcement by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) of a $100 million initiative. research into vaccines to fight avian influenza , affecting approximately 12,500 poultry and close to 1,000 dairy farms during this ongoing outbreak.
Moreover, 70 people from America have been infected with the H5N1 avian influenza strain, resulting in one death.
Instead of focusing on vaccines, RFK Jr proposed that farmers might want to contemplate allowing H5N1 to pass through their flocks. This approach would enable them to identify the birds that are resistant to the virus, thus helping conserve those with immunity, as opposed to eliminating infected poultry, which could lead to an egg shortage.
Although certain evidence supports RFK Jr's 'leaky vaccine' theory regarding poultry illnesses such as Marek’s disease, experts informed INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL that even though a vaccine won’t entirely eradicate H5N1, it can still significantly decrease its spread.
They also cautioned that permitting H5N1 to proliferate across farms is 'unscientific' and that extensive infections might elevate the likelihood of mutations capable of transmitting to humans.
Dr. Paul Offit, a leading infectious disease expert in Philadelphia, told INSPIRATIONS DIGITAL: "The term 'leaky vaccine' is somewhat vague. What he intends to convey is his aim to develop a vaccine that entirely prevents the spread of influenza among chickens."
That simply won't occur due to the virus having a very brief incubation phase, which makes it highly efficient at spreading.
These vaccines are not perfect, similar to the annual flu vaccine administered to humans each year, which offers 60 to 65 percent protection against serious illness.
In my view, as a broad guideline, the lower the circulation of a virus, the lesser the chance of encountering concerning mutations.
If poultry flocks get infected with avian influenza, the birds are slaughtered to prevent the illness from spreading further.
As of 2022, approximately 166 million birds have been culled throughout the nation.
Nevertheless, this approach has led to increasing costs of eggs and supply deficits.
RFK Jr stated during a Fox News interview, "A majority of our scientists oppose the culling operation. Instead, they believe we ought to test treatments on those flocks and focus on isolation."
You should allow the illness to progress alongside their departure and observe the surviving birds, as these are likely the ones with a genetic predisposition towards resistance.
'These should be the birds we raise, similar to the wild population.'
We've eliminated 166 million chickens, which is why we're facing an egg shortage.
The Secretary of Agriculture appointed by Trump, Brock Rolston, has likewise expressed backing for this approach, stating to Fox News recently: "We have farmers who are ready to test this through a pilot program as we establish a secure boundary around them to explore potential pathways toward achieving immunity."
Dr. Jessica Steier, a public health scientist based in Massachusetts, posted on Instagram stating, "The 'let it spread' strategy for managing H5N1 avian influenza suggested by RFK Jr., lacks scientific merit as the virus kills affected chickens so rapidly they cannot build up immunity or recover from the infection."
'However, permitting extensive infections might boost the likelihood of mutations and possibly lead to the emergence of more dangerous strains that could impact humans.'
Certain evidence backs RFK Jr.'s stance against a bird flu vaccine for chickens.
During the 1970s, researchers created a vaccine against Marek's disease, a widely transmissible virus. This virus spreads when affected birds release it through their feather follicles; subsequently, uninfected chickens contract it by inhaling airborne particles mixed with this dust.
As the virus came under control over time, it began transforming into more severe variants within a decade.
A 2015 paper suggested that unvaccinated birds were eliminated by the highly virulent strains so rapidly that they released minimal amounts of the virus. In contrast, vaccinated birds infected with these potent strains excreted more of it compared to those affected by less harmful strains.
This implied that the vaccine led to the proliferation of more virulent strains.
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