U.S. Agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters Tuesday that the vaccine is undergoing further tests.
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The bird flu killed 48 million birds, mostly turkeys and egg-laying chickens in 15 states as it swept through the Midwest.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad on Tuesday prolonged the state’s bird flu disaster proclamation by a month till August 30, retaining in place a raft of state assets for poultry farms recovering from an outbreak of the illness, nation’s worst-ever. Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri lost the most birds.
Organizers closed most periods to the general public and media, declaring they desired contributors to speak freely about what caused the outbreak and how to respond additional effectively to foreseeable future problems.
An avian flu vaccine could complicate worldwide trade since some countries won’t import poultry products from inoculated birds.
Branstad joined Vilsack in calling for Congress to implement a federal disaster program for poultry similar to what now exists for livestock to provide for predictability and stability in financially challenging situations like the Avian influenza outbreak.
“It’s a disaster like no other that we have experienced in our state”, he said. By the end of September, infected farms should be ready to restock, he said.
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“This would be cutting back on one of the best weapons we have to address this spreading bird flu, the egg shortage supply and the unrelenting prices”.
