Finland becomes first country to vaccinate humans against bird flu

Finland will be the world’s first country to begin vaccinating humans against bird flu.

Finland to lead 15 EU countries in vaccine rollout

The Finnish government bought 10,000 double-dose vaccines, which it plans to administer to people who it considers to be at risk of contracting the H5N1 virus. Finland has so far had no reported cases of the virus in humans.

"The vaccine will be offered to those aged 18 or over who are at increased risk of contracting avian influenza due to their work or other circumstances," the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) told Reuters.

It is not clear whether the shots will be optional. The Gold Report has reached out to THL for comment.

Other countries in the European Union are expected to follow Finland. The EU this month purchased from Australian biotech giant CSL Seqirus 40 million vaccines  to be administered in 15 European countries.

US stockpiling bird flu vaccines

Meanwhile, the United States government is building its own supply of bird flu vaccines.

Pfizer and Moderna, both manufacturers of mRNA vaccines, are in talks with the federal government to mass-manufacture vaccines for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. According to Reuters, the government maintains stockpiles of vaccine prototypes for different flu strains and is conducting clinical trials. Once a pandemic is announced, the government will present a vaccine to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Emergency Use Authorization.

Public health authorities are already considering vaccinating farm employees against the bird flu, along with anyone else who is considered to be in close contact with the virus. Dawn O’Connell at the US Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, a body within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), says the government is “looking closely” at a vaccination campaign. As in Finland, it remains unclear whether the shots will be optional.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Virologist Dr. Richard Webby, who researches bird and animal flu for the WHO, claims bird flu vaccines are necessary.

"If we look at the exposure levels that some of these farmers are getting, it's high," he said.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Principal Deputy Director Nirav Shah said the federal government will determine how and when to use the vaccines based on certain factors. These include the severity of the disease, the transmission rate, mutations in the virus, and how it affects people who have no links to the virus.

The push for a bird flu pandemic

Authorities such as the World Health Organization (WHO) appear to be making a desperate push to set the stage for a bird flu pandemic. In January, for example, the WHO claimed that a Mexican man died from the virus, though the Mexican government confirmed this month that he died from kidney failure.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently claimed at least one human case of bird flu, which analysts say may have just been a case of conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye.

Nevertheless, media outlets are stirring up hype about bird flu and pushing vaccinations.

“We already have H5N1 vaccines stockpiled in this country specifically for this reason,” said a medical contributor on Fox News recently. “We need to use it. We need to nip this in the bud before the virus gets used to transmitting between humans and becoming very good at it.”