1. Isn’t all the attention on bird flu a bit exaggerated?
“This year was an exceptional year, with a lot of outbreaks. I just don’t think panic is the right word. But there are the first signs that the virus will now stay in the Netherlands and is also adapting in such a way that it can spread to mammals can.”
2. How likely are we humans to get sick?
“The risk to humans is still estimated to be low. Okay, unless you really come into professional contact yourself. For example, cull teams working with sick chickens. But that’s because we don’t really see the virus going to people yet We haven’t seen human-to-human spread at all.”
3. What are the chances that this will become the next major pandemic?
“Well, I think that chance is really small, because there are of course other viruses that could cause such a pandemic. But it is a virus that we have to monitor closely. We now see that it is possible to go to mammals and in mammals we also see a first mutation occurs. This has to do with the virus adapting to the lower body temperature of mammals. Those are 37 degrees, birds are 42. What you still need is that the virus must be able to spread between people. many more changes are needed for that.”
“There have been studies that indicate that at least four more mutations are needed to have a virus that can pass through the air from human to human or from mammal to mammal.”
“We see certain strains of the virus circulating in Asia that can really go to people. So far they have not been found in Europe. These are strains that you wouldn’t really want to have in the Netherlands. So we are also very well suited for that on.”
4. Are there any other ways the virus can adapt?
“This is a flu virus for birds. But of course you also have flu viruses for humans, even for pigs. And what you could get is that when a human has a common flu and he also gets infected with bird flu, those viruses start mixing. And then suddenly you get a whole new virus.”
“And that is of course impossible to predict. And it is a very small chance. Yes, but if that happens, you could really get a virus with pandemic potential.”
5. What are the symptoms? What do I feel then? What will I suffer from?
“In the majority of cases, the symptoms are really very mild. Then you could notice a cold or flu. Some people get an eye infection. There are actually no known cases where it went wrong. Except now a case in Ecuador with that girl, where we don’t actually have all the information to determine whether it was really caused by bird flu.”
6. Could bird flu spread quickly in a case like Ecuador?
“No, because at the moment the virus cannot actually travel through the air from one person to another person. So if someone gets infected, it is a kind of dead end. At the most you get better or maybe someone dies, but at least he doesn’t infect other people.”
7. Why are chickens actually culled?
“It must of course be combated anyway. It is a dangerous animal disease that requires a lot of victims. If such a virus breaks out on a company, it is actually so dangerous that it may spread to other companies, that you have to clear that company. if you don’t clear up, up to 100% of your chickens in such a barn will simply die.
8. Are there already vaccines for birds?
“We investigated three vaccines in a study. One vaccine is already on the market in certain countries. The other vaccines are at an advanced stage of development. Some of those vaccines just come out well. So they seem to protect.”
“We also looked at whether they not only protect against diseases, but whether they also protect against the spread of the virus. And there are good vaccines among them.”
9. Should we start thinking about a human vaccine?
“Well, not at the moment, and if that happens, of course, we will have very good vaccines. Against the flu, against the seasonal flu. And you could adapt them so that they are also suitable for bird flu. So that could be done in a relatively short period of time. But because you cannot predict what such a virus will look like, it is very difficult to develop a vaccine now. That is actually only possible if you know which virus you want to target.”