Iconic Australian mammals could be at real risk from bird flu. Could we protect them using vaccines in baits?
Edible bait vaccines made Europe virtually free from rabies. The approach could work against bird flu – if we invest in new vaccines.
Rabies once ravaged Europe, but now baits containing an edible vaccine have helped make many nations rabies-free. Our team is developing a similar approach for Tasmanian devils to protect them from devil facial tumour disease. If a suitable vaccine can be found, this method could also help safeguard devils and other scavenging mammals from bird flu.
However, bird flu vaccines for mammals are still mostly experimental, and developing a new vaccine in time to be effective during this outbreak would be challenging, though not impossible. Recent advancements in vaccine development during the COVID pandemic offer hope. In addition to potential challenges in dispensing the vaccine, such as using darts or injections, the development of a suitable vaccine remains a priority.
As Australia has a single approved bird flu vaccine for little penguins, there is an urgent need for better options to protect wildlife from this and future wildlife diseases.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
