Bird Flu Solution-- Immunize the Chickens

If it succeeds, definitely a wise solution to overcome birdflu!

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 27 - As avian flu spreads west into Europe and fears of a new human pandemic rise, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh may have come up with a simple solution: immunize the chickens.

They’ve developed a vaccine that completely protects chickens from the H5N1 avian flu virus and, they believe, it might be an “economically advantageous” way to stop the spread of the disease, the researchers reported online in the Journal of Virology.

And if the avian flu developed into a pandemic human strain -- as many experts fear it may -- the vaccine might complement traditional vaccines and be used to protect people, according to Andrea Gambotto, M.D., and assistant professor of surgery, molecular genetics, and biochemistry........ By , MedPage Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.