The UK government has ordered 5 million doses of an avian influenza vaccine as experts warn of potential human transmission risks. While the H5N1 strain has circulated in birds for decades, recent evolution has raised concerns about its pandemic potential. Scientists are monitoring for signs of interspecies transmission, and the contracted vaccine producer, CSL Seqirus, is on standby to manufacture over 100 million doses if needed.
The UK government has ordered five million doses of an avian influenza vaccine in case it starts being spread by people as experts warn that 'blind spots' remain in science's understanding of the virus
But the worldwide risk assessment changed dramatically when an H5N1 outbreak in dairy cattle in the US was first identified last March, causing governments and scientific organisations to step up their plans for a potential bird flu pandemic. This time last year, the threat was deemed to be Level 3, where there is “limited or facilitated mammalian transmission”.
The avian cell receptors in birds that are ideal hosts for H5N1 are not the same as those found in the human upper respiratory tract. Under lab conditions, scientists at Scripps Research in San Diego tested different genetic mutations on virus material obtained from infected cattle and discovered that one mutation, known as Q226L, improved the ability of that material to attach to human-like cell receptors – meaning it would give bird flu the same potential as other human flu viruses.
This has included world-leading research by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, an arm of Defra, into how the virus spreads among poultry, as well as testing of bird flu in seals and other marine mammals in Antarctica. The UKHSA and APHA conduct regular testing of poultry workers to try to identify any human cases.
Rawson added: “A big point to make is that even just a year ago, if you said that H5N1 would be circulating in cows, you’d say, ‘No, that’s not possible, they don’t have the same receptors, or any of this machinery to make it happen’. “One thing that’s come out of the pandemic is we have some incredibly good and fast vaccine pipelines now,” Rawson said.
But experts believe a similar outbreak in the UK is unlikely – due to the BSE crisis in cows in this country during the 1990s.
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