United Nations experts fighting the Asian bird flu epidemic today called for possible targeted vaccination of poultry outside infected sites, along with mass cullings inside them and substantial international financial aid, to stop the virus spreading among birds and reduce its potential to infect humans.
Issuing recommendations after two days of emergency talks in Rome, experts from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN World Health Organization (WHO) and World Animal Health Organization (OIE) said vaccination could be one method along with culling and other priority measures to contain the spread of the virus.
These steps should help to avoid mass culling of flocks outside infected sites while averting major damage to the livelihoods of rural households and national economies from the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, which has already lead to the death or culling of more than 25 million birds in eight countries and 13 human deaths in Viet Nam and Thailand.
“We are confident that with broad international and regional collaboration in support of national efforts and using all available intervention tools, the crisis can be overcome and the risk to human health be minimized," said the chief of FAO's Animal Health Service, Joseph Domenech.
While culling remains the recommended response when disease is detected, vaccination together with other control measures, such as market and movement management, offers a suitable means to help suppress the further spread, he added.
"Controlling the outbreak at its source, through the safe elimination of infected flocks supported by vaccination where required, would minimize the risk to human health," WHO's François Meslin said.
The experts agreed that vaccination would help prevent animals from falling ill and reduce the amount of virus present in the environment, known as the viral load. Minimizing viral load will reduce the potential of bird flu spreading to humans.
The recommendations included a call for substantial international financial support to fund the necessary intensified control measures as well as the creation of country-specific guidelines and regional coordination programmes.
The countries where outbreaks of avian influenza have so far been confirmed are Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Viet Nam.