UK Prepares 5 Million Doses of H5 Bird Flu Vaccine as Precautionary Measure

The vaccine, intended for potential human use, is part of efforts to bolster pandemic preparedness despite no current evidence of human-to-human transmission.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has secured over five million doses of the H5 influenza vaccine to prepare for a potential pandemic.
The vaccine, manufactured by CSL Seqirus UK Ltd in Liverpool, will only be used if the H5N1 virus begins spreading between humans.
H5N1 bird flu has been detected in poultry and wild birds in the UK, though no human cases have been reported domestically so far.
Globally, the virus has infected humans in limited cases, primarily through close contact with infected animals, with one critical case reported in Canada.
Experts warn that the risk of a more transmissible strain could increase during winter due to genetic reassortment between animal and seasonal flu viruses.