UK buys 5 million bird flu vaccine doses in case of pandemic

The United Kingdom has bought more than five million doses of a bird flu vaccine for humans in case the virus adapts to better infect people and cause a possible pandemic.

The government said it was part of plans to prepare for pathogens with pandemic potential, even though there is no evidence that the avian influenza, known as H5N1, can currently spread between humans.

“It is important for us to be prepared against a range of different influenza viruses that may pose human health risks,” Dr Meera Chand, emerging infection lead at the UK Health Security Agency, said in a statement.

“Early access to vaccines saves lives. Adding H5 vaccines to the interventions already available to us will help us to be ready for a wider range of threats”.

The UK vaccine contract comes as bird flu has spread globally in the last few years, primarily impacting bird populations.

It has also affected several mammal populations, and in North America this year, it has infected hundreds of dairy cow herds and dozens of people, most of them farm workers.

Several recent human cases have also been closely watched by scientists who are monitoring the virus for any mutations that might help it spread in people.

‘Prudent that we prepare’

In a statement commenting on the UK announcement, Massimo Palmarini, director of the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, said seeing as H5 has impacted a variety of mammalian species in some countries, “it is prudent that we get ready and prepare for what might happen in future” even if the vaccine is never needed.

Ian Brown from The Pirbright Institute added that while bird flu currently lacks the ability to efficiently infect humans in the respiratory tract, “a vaccine stockpile is an important preparedness step should H5 viruses mutate and expand their capability to infect and transmit between humans”.

“If this scenario were to occur vaccine stockpiles would have an important role in the early control of substantially increased risk or a pandemic,” he said.

The vaccine will be manufactured by the UK-based company CSL Seqirus UK Limited, the UK government said.