![]() But privately-none would speak on the record-scientists at poultry companies say they see no other exit strategy. ![]() Officially, therefore, the industry opposes what would be a drastic step. Introducing a vaccine could trigger trade bans that would crush the enormous US export market, turn sectors of the poultry trade against each other, and possibly provoke consumer uneasiness about food safety. But only a few countries routinely vaccinate poultry against avian influenza. That doesn’t sound controversial after all, flu shots for humans are routine, and chickens already receive a handful of vaccinations in the first days of their lives. In the US, where losses are close to 60 million, industry experts are talking quietly about taking a step they have long resisted: vaccinating commercial chickens, laying hens, turkeys, and ducks against the flu. And though they are harder to count, the die-offs among wild birds have been catastrophic. More than 140 million poultry worldwide have died from the virus or were slaughtered to keep it from spreading, according to the World Organization for Animal Health. The wave of avian influenza H5N1-which so far has hit 76 countries, triggered national emergencies, and created the worst animal-disease outbreak in US history-keeps roaring through wild birds and commercial poultry. ![]() This story was originally published by Wired and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
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