As Bird Flu Outbreak Worsens, Zoetis Gets Green Light for Poultry Vaccine

TUESDAY, Feb. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted conditional approval for a new bird flu vaccine for poultry.

This new avian flu vaccine, developed by New Jersey-based Zoetis, was approved last week after meeting safety and efficacy standards.

“We’ve been working with the administration and with Congress, and we’re very excited today to get the licensure for (the vaccine) in poultry, which we think will be a tool that we will help support the government as they deem necessary,” Zoetis” CEO Kristin Peck told CNBC.

Bird flu has devastated poultry farms across the country, causing egg prices to soar.

Since 2022, the virus has affected more than 150 million birds, including 20.5 million in the last 30 days alone.

The U.S. has traditionally handled bird flu outbreaks by slaughtering (culling) infected flocks, rather than vaccination.

But as the virus spreads to other animals, including cattle and even humans, officials are considering new containment strategies.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Sunday that the Trump administration is finalizing a plan to combat bird flu without mass culling, CNN reported.

“What we need to do is have better ways with biosecurity and medication and so on” to avoid killing chickens, Hassett said. “And so having a smart perimeter is what we’re working on, and we’re finalizing the ideas about how to do that with the best scientists in government.”

So far, 68 bird flu infections have been confirmed in people in the U.S. since March 2024, with one fatal case in Louisiana earlier this year.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) maintains that the threat to the general public is low, though farm workers and backyard poultry owners remain at higher risk.

Meanwhile, egg prices are expected to remain high due to the ongoing outbreak.

The USDA predicts a 20% increase in egg prices this year — far above the 2.2% rise expected for food in general.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the current situation of bird flu.

SOURCE: CNN, media report, Feb. 16, 2025