© ReutersThe Flock
Some of the world's leading makers of flu vaccines say
they could make hundreds of millions of bird flu shots for humans within months if a new strain of avian influenza ever jumps across the species divide.
One current outbreak of
avian flu known as H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has killed a record number of birds and infected mammals.
Human cases, however, remain very rare, and global health officials have said the
risk of transmission between humans is still low.Executives at three vaccine manufacturers โ GSK, Moderna and CSL Seqirus, owned by CSL โ said they are already developing or about to test sample human vaccines that better match the circulating subtype, as a precautionary measure against a future pandemic.Others, like Sanofi, said they "stand ready" to begin production if needed, with existing H5N1 vaccine strains in stock.
There has also been a push among companies to develop a bird flu vaccine for poultry, a market potentially far larger than that for humans.
© Stephane Mahe/ReutersDucks at a poultry farm in Castelnau-Tursan, France
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