Is there a bird flu vaccine for humans?

The United States government announced an outbreak of the bird flu virus on dairy farms almost three months ago, after a worker contracted the disease from a dairy cow.

There have been four human cases of bird flu in the country since 2022, the three latest taking place within the past three months. All three were dairy workers. The person infected two years ago was exposed to poultry.

The H5N1 bird flu is widespread in birds all over the world, and the most recent cases show there is an outbreak in poultry and dairy cows in the U.S.

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Is there a bird flu vaccine for humans?

There is no vaccine for bird flu in the United States at the moment, but Finland will be the first country to make it available to those who have a higher probability of exposure to the virus. Finland has not yet found any cases of bird flu in humans.

“The vaccine will be offered to those aged 18 or over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances,” according to a statement by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).

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Finland culls almost half a million animals due to bird flu outbreak

The country’s move comes after bird flu outbreaks among mink and foxes at fur farms caused them to cull 485,000 animals last year. Killing the animals aimed to stop the spread of the virus among animals as well as its transmission to humans.

A THL spokesperson said the vaccines will be rolled out as early as next week in some parts of the country which are the most at risk, per Reuters.

Among the people who are likely to be offered the vaccine are workers at fur and poultry farms, lab technicians, veterinarians, and workers in wild bird sanctuaries and livestock farms.