“It’s dangerous for humans to vaccinate birds,” the health secretary said.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended that poultry be vaccinated amid the outbreak of avian flu that has caused a sharp rise in egg prices in recent months.
“All my agencies advise against vaccinating birds when they are vaccinated with leaky vaccines, that is, they are vaccines that do not provide sterile immunity.
“There’s a much better chance of jumping to animals,” Kennedy said, and officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “should not be vaccinated.”
“It’s dangerous for humans to vaccinate birds.”
Since the US’s avian flu outbreak began in 2022, millions of egg-selling chickens have been culled to prevent the spread of the virus. As a result, egg prices have skyrocketed, with the average increase to $4.95 in January 2025, according to recent data.
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“We killed 166 million chickens, which is why we have an egg crisis,” Kennedy told Fox’s Sean Hannity, adding that bird flu is not transmitted through eggs or food.
“Most of our scientists are opposed to culing diagnosis,” he said. “They think we should test therapies in those flocks. They need to be separated. You should let go of the disease with them and identify the surviving birds. It’s a bird that is probably a bird that has a genetic tendency to immunity.”
The price of a dozen was consistently about $2 for decades before the disease began. The USDA recently said it expects egg prices to rise 41% in 2025.
However, the USDA reported last week that egg shortages have eased and wholesale prices have fallen. It said there had been no major avian flu outbreaks for two weeks.
“At this point, there is no known spread from person to person,” the CDC said in its latest update on the virus dated March 10th.
So far, 70 people have been sick of the bird flu and one has died. In December 2024, Louisiana officials confirmed the death of an individual in their 60s due to existing health issues.
The Trump administration has announced plans to fight the avian flu, including a $500 million investment to help farmers strengthen biosecurity measures, $400 million in additional aid for farmers affected by the avian flu, and $100 million in additional aid to study and treat vaccines and treatments such as our chicken flock.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
