CDC researching human bird flu vaccine just in case

While the risk to humans from the current avian flu crisis remains low, a senior Center for Disease Control official said Wednesday that the agency is preparing for the possibility of infection in humans just in case.

The agency is closely studying the virus and researching a potential vaccine, which could be used for humans if needed.

Alicia Fry, a CDC medical official, described the steps as routine public health measures.

She noted that thus far genetic analysis of the devastating virus -- the most significant avian flu crisis to hit the poultry industry in more than 30 years -- has not shown any of the markers that are known to be associated with causing increased severity of illness in people or the increased ability to spread to people.

"While we are cautiously optimistic that there will not be human cases, we must be prepared for that possibility," Fry said.

Public health and U.S. Department of Agriculture officials spoke to reporters amidst new reports on Wednesday that the H5N2 virus had hit yet another turkey flock -- this time an 87,000 bird flock in Chippewa County, Wis.

Since the beginning of the year, commercial as well as backyard poultry flocks in Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wisconsin have also confirmed cases of the H5N2 strain.

Government scientists believe it's spread by migratory waterfowl. The disease was spotted in Canada's British Columbia before being confirmed in the Pacific Northwest late last year. The virus has had its greatest impact on commercial poultry in the Midwest over the last several weeks.

The toll, which has cost Midwest turkey and chicken producers nearly 7 million birds since early March, includes both birds that were infected and seemingly healthy poultry that had to be euthanized under federal guidelines because they were part of flocks with an infected bird.

The USDA said Wednesday that it is working on a potential vaccine that could be used to inoculate poultry from H5N2. The USDA is doing the front-end research on a potential vaccine and would provide a seed strain to drug manufacturers if it deems it's necessary to stop the spread of avian influenza.

Avian flu experts say they expect the virus is something that poultry producers will be grappling with for years to come.

"We are working on a potential vaccine strain that could be used in an activated vaccine," said David Swayne, director of the USDA Southeast Poultry Research Lab. "We are making progress on that. It's a multi-step process. … At this point we have a potential seed strain."

The H5N2 avian influenza strain first turned up in Canada's British Columbia before entering the Pacific Northwest late last year. But the disease is having its most significant impact on commercial poultry farms and backyard flocks along the Mississippi River Flyway.

Scientists and farmers say that the disease is being spread by migratory waterfowl and could still show up on the East Coast.

The current H5N2 crisis is the most significant since an outbreak centered in Pennsylvania in 1983-84 left more than 17 million birds dead, costing taxpayers as well as the poultry industry $60 million.

At the moment, poultry industry officials say the crisis won't have a meaningful impact on what consumers are paying for eggs or deli meat.

"Turkeys that contract the disease cannot be processed or sold, but the remaining 99 percent of this year's supply will be available," said Keith Williams, a spokesman for the National Turkey Federation. "Consumers will have no problem finding the turkey products they have always enjoyed, and there will be enough turkeys available this Thanksgiving."

The CDC is advising the general public to avoid contact with wild birds, as well as surfaces that have come in contact with the feces of wild or domestic birds.