Questioning the Avian Flu Vaccine Urgency

This article talks about Dr. Nass highlighting concerns over the “low threshold” to deploy avian flu vaccines, noting bird flu’s minimal global impact over 20 years. This is in response to the CDC reported a case of bird flu in Texas, prompting the FDA’s top vaccine regulator to express confidence in the US stockpile of avian flu vaccines. Dr. Nass believes the CDC’s advisory signals a move towards tighter controls using bird flu as a justification, disregarding that bird flu caused fewer than 500 deaths worldwide and none in the US.

Editor’s note: This focus on vaccination overlooks the fact that bird flu has caused only a few deaths worldwide. Instead of rushing to vaccinate for a relatively low-risk disease, they should consider comprehensive strategies that include improved surveillance, public health measures, and addressing underlying issues in poultry farming. Having vaccines as the sole solution ignores these broader, potentially more effective approaches. This is a message the CDC and WHO should highlight.

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