As bird flu spreads among dairy cattle in the U.S., veterinarians and researchers are taking note of Finland’s decision to vaccinate farmworkers at risk. While some experts agree that those working with dairy cows should be offered vaccination due to the severity of the disease, others are hesitant due to the lack of evidence on human transmission and the effectiveness of the available vaccine.
Nahid Bhadelia, director of the Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, emphasizes the urgent need for vaccines in the U.S. to prevent a potential pandemic. However, Demetre Daskalakis from the CDC argues that the benefits of vaccination are unclear, citing the need for more data on virus transmission among cows and humans.
Experts like Florian Krammer support providing an egg-based vaccine to farmworkers for added protection. The U.S. and other countries are stockpiling doses, while mRNA vaccines against bird flu are also in development to combat the virus at a broader scale. The CDC is cautious about recommending vaccines prematurely, drawing from past experiences like the 1976 swine flu outbreak.