Additional Coverage:
- RFK Jr. against vaccinating poultry for bird flu, says it could turn ‘flocks into mutation factories’ (irishstar.com)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Expresses Concerns Over Bird Flu Vaccine Strategy
Former Environmental lawyer and current Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has voiced his concerns over the current administration’s strategy for combating the ongoing bird flu outbreak.
In a recent interview, Kennedy stated his belief that vaccinating poultry against the H5N1 virus could potentially turn them into “mutation factories,” exacerbating the problem rather than solving it. He argues that vaccines that don’t offer complete immunity could inadvertently encourage the virus to mutate.
This stance appears to contradict the position of the Department of Agriculture, which has emphasized the importance of vaccines in controlling the spread of the virus. The outbreak, which began in March, has already resulted in the deaths of millions of birds and one human. The Department of Agriculture has already conditionally licensed a vaccine for chickens and is developing another for cows, alongside investing $100 million in vaccine research.
Kennedy, however, remains skeptical, suggesting that vaccination increases the risk of the virus spreading to other animals. He claims that his position is supported by leaders at the NIH, CDC, and FDA, who he says have advised against vaccinating poultry.
Experts have pushed back against Kennedy’s claims. Dr.
Daniel Perez, chair in poultry medicine at the University of Georgia, argues that allowing the virus to spread unchecked through poultry populations presents a far greater risk than vaccination. He highlighted Kennedy’s comments as demonstrating a misunderstanding of avian influenza.