European farmers are ready to vaccinate against bird flu livestock on their poultry farms. But keeping the virus from escaping while vaccinating millions of birds is a big challenge.. This topic was raised by Science magazine author Eric Stockstad..

In the article, he gave terrible examples of how special brigades suffocate chickens in poultry houses with tens of thousands of carbon dioxide, and if they can’t cope, they advise farmers to turn off the fans in the poultry houses so that the chickens die from overheating.

In an effort to eradicate the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 avian influenza, France has wiped out a record number of over 16 million poultry since December 2021. The cost of slaughtered animals exceeded 150 million euros. And once again, a discussion came to life on a topic that was considered taboo for a long time: the vaccination of poultry.

While officials in France and other EU countries are discussing the idea, Dutch scientists have already begun testing chicken vaccines.. Recently in southwest France, researchers from the Netherlands began immunizing ducks with a newly developed vaccine..

And in October, stakeholders will gather at a conference sponsored by the World Organization for Animal Health to discuss how to lower international barriers to the export of live vaccinated poultry..

At the moment, many countries are refusing such supplies because they are not sure that countries with vaccinated birds really control the virus.. Influenza experts fear vaccination may not completely stop outbreaks and could put people at risk of the infection.

For all these reasons, vaccination is a last resort, says pathologist Jean-Luc Guerin of the National Veterinary School of Toulouse.. “We use this tool only if we admit that we cannot control the infection in classical ways”.

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The United States does not authorize the use of avian flu vaccines at all. But in Europe, the losses caused by the virus could change the calculus. In places where a highly contagious new strain of avian influenza has spread, vaccination can really be a lifesaver..

The current strain of H5N1 bird flu arrived from Asia to Europe in 2021. It was first discovered in the US in January and continues to spread.. Some researchers are concerned that vaccination, if not done very carefully, will allow H5N1 to persist and continue to mix with strains in wild birds.. This carries the risk that the virus can mutate and spread among people..