More than five million doses of a vaccine are being prepared in the UK to combat any potential bird flu pandemic.
The jab – the human H5 influenza vaccine – is only intended for use if a strand of the virus known as H5N1 spreads among humans.
There is no evidence at this stage of human-to-human transmission, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which has secured a contract for the doses.
The agency said the purchase is part of “long-established plans” to boost the UK’s access to vaccines “for a wider range of pathogens of pandemic potential”.
Dr Meera Chand, emerging infection lead at the agency, said “early access to vaccines saves lives”.
“It is important for us to be prepared against a range of different influenza viruses that may pose human health risks,” she added.
“Adding H5 vaccines to the interventions already available to us will help us to be ready for a wider range of threats.”
There are different types of the virus, with H5N1 causing a “prolonged global outbreak” over the past few years primarily in birds, the UKHSA said.
Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, said the emergence of a new strain is at the “top of the list of pandemic threats”.
“So providing resilience against potential risky flu types, like H5, is important for future pandemic and outbreak preparedness,” he added.
“H5 is only one of the multiple families of flu viruses that create such a risk, so we should not be complacent.
“But H5 is the one that we are most concerned about today as a result of the global spread of this virus among birds and various mammals, and worryingly across the US among cattle this year.”
Cases in the UK
Strands of the virus have been detected in some poultry, captive and wild birds in the UK, including H5N1, according to the NHS, while people have been infected around the world.
Last month, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed cases of bird flu at a poultry farm in Yorkshire.
The department said all poultry would be humanely killed and a protection zone set up to cover 3km around the site.
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Some died in Russia
In February 2021, some people died in Russia after catching one particular strain, which has been found in birds in the UK.
The virus can be spread by close contact with birds or touching their droppings or bedding, though the NHS said it is rare for it to affect humans.
The vaccine will be manufactured in the UK by healthcare company CSL Seqirus UK Limited.
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