Poultry farmers are appealing to the government to let them vaccinate their flocks against the "devastating" bird flu virus spreading across the UK. Vaccinating poultry against avian influenza is currently not allowed in the UK. The government says that strong biosecurity measures and culling are the most effective ways of fighting it.
That's a bit of a change of tactics, isn't it? I guess no-one's pushing vaccination for birdies, just humans.
Meanwhile, there are concerns that poultry vaccinations might be linked to the virus evolving.
No such concerns about covid, then?
A bird flu prevention zone enforcing strict hygiene standards around domesticated birds has been declared for England, Wales and Scotland amid a rising number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The risk to humans remains low, with chicken and eggs safe to eat if properly cooked, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
And who wouldn't believe the government?
Earlier this week, the government agency that deals with infectious diseases, UKHSA, confirmed a case of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in a farm worker in the West Midlands region. It said bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza was rare and that the risk to the wider public continues to be very low.
Sure it is.
The National Farmers' Union said it was "essential that Defra refocuses efforts" on coming up with a workable avian influenza vaccination plan for the UK.
And if we had a government that valued farmers, instead of one that considers them guilty of crimes against climate, you might stand a chance.
1 comment:
To be fair to the government there is an issue with vaccinating poultry against viruses. Look up Mareks Disease. Attempts to vaccinate poultry against that just resulted in a worse version of the disease.
Of course the logical conclusion should be that vaccinating humans with a non-sterilising vaccine in the middle of a viral epidemic was a bad idea too, but hey, whoever said the State was logical or consistent?
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