Dear Dr. John,
I write to ask about the bird flu that seems to be making headlines regarding the danger and death to birds, but also to other species especially marine mammals. I cannot help but wonder if there is any possibility that my family or my dogs might be at risk. Why can a vaccine not be developed to protect birds and other species? How bad is the current situation? A.R.
Dear A.R.,
Thank you for your question. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as bird flu or H5N1, has had devastating effects on birds and other species for about four years now. Highly fatal in some bird species (approaching almost 100% mortality in chickens), seals and sea lions have also been affected and died from New England down to South America.
The wildlife species have contracted the disease from infected wild birds. Over 300 seals have died off our local coasts whereas over 20,000 sea lions have died off the coasts of Chile and Peru. Penguins were also affected at one point. Luckily, this can be controlled in domestic species for now. There is a vaccine for poultry currently in use and along with good biosecurity measures, our poultry can be protected. Recently, dairy cattle were affected in TX and KS in small populations and properly controlled. There was almost no mortality, and most cattle recover uneventfully so there has been no impact on the dairy supply.
Currently, there is little to no concern about dogs or cats contracting this disease and there is no vaccine for them. Due to the possibility of mutations, the pharmaceutical industry is keeping a watchful eye on the situation. There is also a human vaccine available in Europe in the event of a major outbreak that public health officials are monitoring for and our federal government also has a stockpile of vaccines for humans for two types of bird flu should they become needed. People can be infected with various kinds of flu from other species and this is why veterinarians are so essential in working in areas such as public health, food production and food safety.
Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.
