03.12.2024

The UK Government has signed a contract for over five million doses of a human H5N1 influenza vaccine to enhance the country’s preparedness for a potential H5 influenza pandemic.
These vaccines, produced in Liverpool, are being stockpiled in anticipation of H5N1 bird flu potentially adapting to spread among humans, which could initiate a pandemic. Developed by the Australian-owned company CSL Seqirus (CSLS) at its main manufacturing facility in Speke, Liverpool, the factory produces millions of flu vaccine doses annually. The Liverpool plant uses traditional methods by cultivating the virus in fertilized chicken eggs before deactivating it for vaccine production. The facility has the capacity to receive 575,000 eggs daily, sufficient to manufacture 40 liters of a single strain of vaccine over an incubation period of 13 to 14 days.
The vaccine has already been utilized to protect workers in Finland, where H5N1 was reported to have spread among farmed mink last year. The Finnish government acquired 10,000 doses, although only 450 individuals chose to receive the vaccination.
The H5 viruses currently do not possess the ability to effectively infect the upper respiratory tract of humans or facilitate transmission between individuals. While maintaining a vaccine stockpile is a crucial aspect of preparedness, it is even more critical to implement vaccines aimed at halting the transmission of the H5N1 virus among poultry and livestock.