WHO launches programme to develop bird flu vaccine for humans

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday announced the launch of a program to develop a vaccine against bird flu using new messenger RNA (mRNA used in several COVID vaccines), led by Argentine firm Sinergium Biotech.

The Argentine lab has already begun research on H5N1 influenza vaccine candidates and is now seeking to conduct a feasibility study on its development, and under the WHO programme it could share its achievements with other firms to make the vaccine available in future countries. “Once preclinical preparation is completed, the technology, materials and training will be transferred to other partner manufacturers,” the WHO explained in a statement.

WHO reminds that bird flu poses a significant health risk due to its widespread distribution among animals, making it potentially capable of causing future pandemics, especially if it makes an evolutionary leap and becomes capable of transmission between humans.

There are currently relatively few cases among humans (about 900 over the past 30 years, about half of which have been fatal), as infection is currently only possible through contact with animals, mainly birds, although there have also been cases in the past year due to contact with cattle in the United States.

The discovery of the H5N1 bird flu virus in cattle, confirmation that it can be transmitted between mammals through contaminated milk, and new cases in humans should be cause for concern, says microbiologist Raul Rivas, for whom such “escalation of events” means vigilance is at its peak.

“H5N1 is already a pandemic virus in birds, let’s hope it doesn’t become one in humans,” says Rivas, a doctor of biological sciences and professor of microbiology at the University of Salamanca, who recently published the book Microbes and Cancer (Guadamazán).

The researcher explains that there are currently many outbreaks in wild birds, more than ever before in history, and in poultry. A few months ago, it appeared on dairy farms in the United States – “another very worrying fact.” The discovery of a subtype of the virus on a dairy farm in this country in the spring represents the first documented outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in cattle. Since then, it has been reported to spread among herds, to other mammals (cats, raccoons) and even a small number of new cases in humans. “So far with mild symptoms,” says Rivas, who specifies that from 2003 to April 1, 2024, a total of 889 cases have been registered worldwide, according to WHO. “This indicates that at this point, the transmission of the virus from animal to human is not very good, and in addition, there are no known cases of human-to-human transmission,” he says.

But the mortality rate (463 people) is about 52%, “which is outrageous”. The virus seems to have “difficult adaptation” to humans, but if it infects pigs, it would be a “serious problem” not only because of the large farms, but also because they “act as shakers”. This is something similar, the scientist adds, to what happened in 2009 with “the famous influenza A (H1N1) with pandemic potential (…). Fortunately, today it is under control and circulates among the seasonal flu”.