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Scientists Find New Bird Flu Virus in Ducks, Recommend Billions of Vaccinations

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  • Scientists Find New Bird Flu Virus in Ducks, Recommend Billions of Vaccinations

    When researchers created a vaccine, they largely put an end to the 2013 bird flu pandemics in chickens, capping a worldwide health scare. But now, scientists have found new versions of the viruses in ducks. Researchers recommend vaccinating the nearly 3 billion ducks produced in China each year straightaway.
    Virulent Virus

    Back in 2013, authorities detected H7N9, a version of the flu that infects birds, in Chinese poultry markets. Soon after, they found the viruses in chicken farms. The chicken industry suffered major losses. Then the bird flu spread to humans. The World Health Organization has confirmed nearly 1,000 cases of H7N9 in people since 2013. And controlling and eradicating the virus has been a high priority for Chinese authorities. They slaughtered millions of infected chickens and introduced a vaccine in September 2017.

    Hualan Chen, an animal virologist at the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute in Heilongjiang, China, and colleagues wanted to know how well the vaccine worked. So, the researchers surveyed poultry markets and farms before and after the vaccination program took place. Altogether the team collected close to 54,000 poultry samples across China.



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