Canada has purchased 500,000 doses of a bird flu vaccine for humans.
The vaccines, produced by the British pharmaceutical company GSK, were ordered as a “proactive measure” in case the doses are needed, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.
PHAC says the current risk to the public posed by bird flu remains low, but that the vaccines were ordered to protect Canadians who may be at increased risk of exposure.
The move comes four months after Canada reported its first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 in November, and as global cases continue to rise.
There are concerns the spring migration could also spread the virus.
“As we confront the ongoing global health risks posed by avian influenza, our priority remains protecting the health of people in Canada. The proactive steps we are taking, including securing vaccine doses, reflect our commitment to being prepared for any potential public health threats,” Health Minister Mark Holland said in a statement.
According to the agency, the vaccines will be provided to provinces and territories based on an “equitable and risk-based approach,” with 60 per cent of doses sent to the various jurisdictions while 45 per cent will remain in a federal stockpile.
It will be up to provinces and territories to make decisions on the potential use and administration, with PHAC supporting program monitoring and evaluation.
“By making human vaccines against avian influenza available for potential use in individuals at increased risk of exposure to avian influenza as part of our readiness, we are enhancing our capacity to protect people in Canada and respond rapidly to emerging public health challenges,” said Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, in a statement.
The first case of the virus was reported in Canada in a 13-year-old girl from B.C., who also became North America’s first critical pediatric patient with avian influenza and was hospitalized for two months.
She was discharged in January.
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Avian flu has continued to spread across the U.S., with at least 67 people having been infected with the H5 bird flu since 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One person has died from the virus.
The Type A H5N1 virus has also spilled from wild birds into U.S. poultry and dairy cows.
Almost 960 dairy herds in 16 states have been hit with H5N1 as of Feb. 6.
So far, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has not seen any evidence of disease in Canadian dairy cows.
Last week, PHAC told Global News that testing guidance for humans had not changed, with health authorities required to report confirmed and probable cases to PHAC within 24 hours.
The vaccine announcement came as the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) released preliminary guidance on the use of human bird flu vaccines in a non-pandemic context.
According to the guidance by NACI, broad deployment of the vaccine is not being recommended.
The committee outlined when the immunizations can be used for key populations in a two-dose series.
The four populations NACI looked at were:
- People who handle live bird flu virus in laboratory settings
- People with ongoing contact with known infected birds or other known infected animals, or their environments
- People who work or live on farms “with geographic or other connection to farms experiencing outbreaks (such that these connections result in potential exposure risk)”
- Larger population groups with exposure to birds or other animals or their environments which, if these animals were infected, have the potential to be a source for transmission to humans
Depending on three risk scenarios outlining case levels and exposures, those four groups should be either considered for vaccination, or are not recommended for vaccination.
NACI is also advising Canadians six months and older to get their flu shot to “reduce the burden of seasonal influenza.”
While the flu shot will not protect people against contracting bird flu, NACI said it could potentially reduce the risk of being infected with both the flu and avian influenza at the same time — a scenario health experts fear given mingling of the viruses could spur mutations to spread in humans.
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