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Naig says vaccines and biosecurity should be part of strategy as H5N1 persists
Summary
Secretary Mike Naig said with high-path H5N1 entering a fourth year in some places, the focus should be on research for effective vaccines, deployment strategy, and stronger biosecurity; he cautioned about trade impacts and said vaccination is not a silver bullet.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig told Iowa Press that avian influenza (H5N1) has persisted long enough that vaccination and improved biosecurity should be part of the response, while acknowledging trade implications and limits.
"Here we are going into our fourth year with high path H5N1," Naig said, and added that global persistence of the virus changes the calculus for vaccines. He said research is needed to identify effective vaccines and that officials must decide whether vaccination is preemptive or used in outbreak response.
Naig noted trade concerns: egg-producing states, where hens have long lifespans, may see different cost-benefit calculations for vaccination than broiler states with short production cycles. "You want to prevent birds from getting sick to begin with. That's really where you gotta go," he said, emphasizing biosecurity in addition to vaccination.
Asked about remarks reportedly made by the HHS secretary suggesting a hands-off approach, Naig said letting viruses "run their course" is not a workable solution and argued for managing outbreaks to prevent wider spread and human-health risks.
He urged coordination with trading partners so vaccination strategies do not unduly harm market access, and said the issue requires international collaboration because the virus is circulating in many countries.
