Wider Use of Bird Vaccine Urged to Control Avian Flu
New guidelines that recommend increased use of a vaccine for birds in order to control the spread of avian flu will be issued by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
The guidelines, to be issued by the end of August, are necessary because a strain of the avian flu has become a permanent presence in many Asian countries, the New York Times reported.
Recent findings show that the A(H5N1) strain of the avian influenza virus has taken root in domesticated ducks and wildlife. That means its spread can't be stopped using only quarantines, culling, and other standard control measures, a U.N. official said.
The A(H5N1) strain of the virus, and culling to control it, have resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200 million birds since the strain appeared in eight Asian countries earlier this year.
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