VAccination could mask spread

Vaccinating Poultry Could Mask The Effects Of Bird Flu Spread
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=38208

Main Category: Bird Flu/Avian Flu News
Article Date: 22 Feb 2006 - 17:00pm (UK)

The United Kingdom Government said vaccinating poultry against bird flu
could mask the effects of the disease and make it harder to know how it is
spreading. This statement was made virtually at the same time as the
European Union approved a plan by France and the Netherlands to vaccinated
their poultry.

Deputy Chief Veterinarian, Fred Landeg, said "Crucially, though these
vaccines protect against disease, they will not prevent birds from becoming
infected and shedding virus. Because symptoms of disease would be masked,
the hidden presence of disease would pose a serious problem."

Many organisations in the UK are sceptical about the effectiveness of a mass
vaccination of poultry - and many are concerned about what the results could
be.

A virologist wrote to medical news today:

"What will happen if we vaccinate all poultry, the virus still spreads, the
chickens still infect, but we don't know where?"

Put simply, in Europe the current debate is as follows:

1. Do you vaccinate all your chickens? They won't get ill. But they will
still be contagious, they may still carry the virus, and it could still
spread. However, you will not know it is spreading.

Or

2. Do you not vaccinate and wait and see? Take measures such as keeping
poultry indoors, quarantine infected areas, cull birds in infected areas.
And try to contain it that way.

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today


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Jill Bowis

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