Vaccine protects against bird flu

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Oct. 20 (UPI) -- A single vaccine could be used to protect chickens, cats and humans against deadly flu pandemics, University of Maryland researchers said.

The vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds.

The study, scheduled to be published in the November issue of the Journal of General Virology, found the vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains.

"The world is experiencing a pandemic of influenza in birds caused by an H5N1 virus. Although it has been restricted to Eurasia and some countries in Africa, there is a risk that this virus may spread worldwide," Daniel Perez said in a statement.

"The H5N1 virus also has an unusual expanded host range: not only birds and humans have been infected but also cats, which are usually resistant to influenza. To prepare for a pandemic, it would be ideal to have a vaccine that could be used in multiple animal species."