Federal health agencies are currently against the use of bird flu vaccines in poultry, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated, making his public stance known for the first time in his new position. The Trump administration has been exploring the possibility of vaccinating poultry as a means to address the outbreak that is driving an unprecedented increase in egg prices.
Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture mentioned last month that they are enhancing their plans for the potential deployment of a vaccine for poultry, aiming to present a draft of their plan to trading partners “as quickly as possible,” considering its potential impact on billions of dollars in exports.
“There’s no indication that those vaccines actually provide sterilizing immunity and the acting heads of all three of my health agencies, NIH, CDC, and FDA, have all advised against the use of the bird flu vaccine,” Kennedy said in a Fox News interview that was published this week.
Sterilizing immunity refers to vaccine protection that entirely prevents infections and transmission. While vaccines usually do not provide such complete effectiveness, the USDA indicated last month it would increase funding in “potential new generation vaccines” that offer improved protection.
Kennedy’s comments represent a notable shift from the Biden administration, according to multiple former officials.
During Biden’s presidency, officials in the health and agriculture departments engaged in extensive discussions regarding the rollout of vaccines for animals amidst the rising outbreaks on farms across the nation. Ultimately, concerns from agriculture officials—not human health experts—led to the suspension of vaccine rollout plans.
“At no time did they express any concern or anything other than strong support for an animal vaccination program,” one former USDA official remarked about the health agencies.
Health officials during Biden’s time believed that the final decision was beyond their area of expertise and should instead be left to specialists in the agriculture department, according to two individuals familiar with the planning.
Could Vaccination Turn Poultry into “Mutant Factories”?
Kennedy indicated that the new stance from his health agencies was driven by worries that vaccinating poultry without offering sterilizing immunity could lead to “turning those birds into mutant factories,” which might result in concerning genetic changes to the virus.
“That could actually accelerate the transmission to humans,” Kennedy stated.
Experts argue that vaccination would require strict biosecurity measures—additional precautions to prevent vaccinated birds from infection—to decrease the risk of genetic alterations in the virus.
“Creating scenarios where the virus can mutate freely increases the likelihood of a strain that can infect humans,” remarked Daniel Perez, chair in poultry medicine at the University of Georgia, via email.
Perez noted that the risk is heightened in large-scale poultry operations where birds tend to have compromised immune systems.
However, he believes that vaccination could be a strategic option to mitigate outbreaks for egg-laying chickens and backyard poultry, alongside other measures such as thorough surveillance to identify outbreaks and ongoing culling of infected meat chickens.
“Vaccination can serve as a valuable tool when paired with rigorous biosecurity. If birds are shielded from the virus, vaccination can effectively manage outbreaks,” Perez explained.
Conversely, Perez cautioned that a different notion proposed by Trump administration officials could pose a significantly greater threat: relying on immunity from poultry that survive bird flu infections.
“We actually suggested, at the USDA, considering the possibility of allowing the virus to circulate in the flock to identify and retain birds that are immune,” Kennedy remarked.
Perez contended that this strategy would transform surviving birds into breeding grounds for troublesome mutations.
“This reflects a potentially hazardous misunderstanding of avian influenza dynamics. Permitting highly pathogenic avian influenza to spread within a poultry flock is exceptionally risky and counterproductive,” he stated.
The Biden administration opted against poultry vaccination for various reasons, according to former officials.
Agriculture officials feared it could lead to unnoticed viral spread among asymptomatic birds, trigger bans on U.S. poultry product imports, and present logistical challenges in administering vaccines to vast commercial flocks.
Kennedy’s statements come shortly after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an updated evaluation of the virus, revealing that the risk remains “low” for the general populace, but is higher for individuals such as farm workers or veterinarians who may come into contact with infected animals or contaminated surfaces.
Most confirmed bird flu cases among humans to date have been predominantly mild, with the exceptions of a few hospitalizations and one death.
The CDC emphasized that while its current risk assessment remains low, this “could change, as influenza A viruses are prone to rapid mutation and thus have the potential to cause pandemics.”
