LONDON, Feb. 24 (Reuters) – The world’s leading influenza experts met this week to discuss the threat posed to humans by the strain of H5N1 bird flu that has caused record numbers of bird deaths worldwide in recent months. We talked about
A group of scientists, regulators and vaccine manufacturers meet twice a year to decide which seasonal influenza strains to include in vaccines for the coming winter season, in this case the northern hemisphere.
But it’s also an opportunity to discuss the risk of an animal virus spreading to humans and causing a pandemic. H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b was a key topic at this week’s conference, World Health Organization (WHO) and global influenza experts told Reuters. They will brief reporters on both the composition and contagion risks of the seasonal flu vaccine later on Friday.
“We are more prepared (than COVID), but even if we are ready, we are not yet fully prepared,” said Sylvie Briand, WHO Director of Global Infectious Disease Preparedness, ahead of the meeting. said. “We really need to continue our work on the flu pandemic.”
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Experts have been tracking the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b since it emerged in 2020, but there have been mass deaths of infected mammals from seals to bears, and a mammal-to-mammal death at a Spanish mink farm last year. Concern due to recent reports of possible infection.
However, there have been very few cases of human infection and the WHO currently assesses the threat to humans as low.
“This is a natural experiment unfolding before our eyes and I don’t think we are complacent,” said Nicola Lewis, director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Influenza at the Crick Institute in London. Ahead of the meeting, she said it included an assessment of the global situation.
Experts also discussed the possibility of developing a vaccine.
WHO-affiliated laboratories already have two influenza virus strains closely related to the circulating H5N1 virus, which vaccine manufacturers can use to create human vaccines if needed. One was added after the last WHO influenza conference in September 2022. Laboratories around the world are now testing how well both subtypes match strains spread among animals to determine if further updates are needed.
Many companies that manufacture seasonal flu vaccines can also manufacture pandemic flu vaccines. For example, GSK and CSL Seqirus are already working with the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Agency (BARDA) to test shots based on one of the closely related strains.
Having these strains ready could cut vaccine development time by about two months, said WHO’s Briand. But developing a sufficient vaccine quickly remains a challenge in the context of a pandemic, experts say.
Reporting by Jennifer Rigby Editing by Mark Potter
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