[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service opts not to allow the emergency use of certain vaccines with the potential to fight highly pathogenic avian influenza[/title][fusion_text]Monday, June 8th 2015
USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has opted not to allow the emergency use of certain vaccines with the potential to fight highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), citing trade and efficacy issues with available drugs. Presently, there is no vaccine designed to fight the H5N2 strain of HPAI responsible for more than 99 percent of the more than 45 million birds lost to the disease’s recent outbreak. APHIS was considering allowing the use of vaccines designed to fight other strains of the disease which would have been partially effective. However, APHIS said in a release Wednesday that the vaccines are not “well-matched, effective” options to fight the disease. APHIS also noted that “some significant trading partners” have indicated that they would ban the import of all U.S. poultry and eggs if producers began vaccinating before those countries could complete a risk assessment of the drugs under emergency use. APHIS said the bans could be devastating to the poultry industry. After first appearing in December in a backyard flock of mixed poultry in Oregon, the disease has spread to three of the four flyways in the U.S., missing only the Atlantic flyway covering much of the Eastern seaboard. According to APHIS data, as of June 2, the disease has been detected in 207 cases resulting in the depopulation of more than 45 million birds.
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