Bird flu vaccine trial begins against potential pandemic strain

The first volunteers in the UK have been immunised with a vaccine to protect against a potential bird flu pandemic.

The vaccine targets the H5N1 flu strain which has caused devastating infections in bird populations worldwide and has spread to some mammals.

The threat to humans is currently low, says the UK Health Protection Agency, with almost all human cases linked to close contact with infected animals.

The vaccine uses the same mRNA technology used in current Covid jabs, with scientists saying this enables the vaccine to be created quickly and at scale, in the event of a pandemic.

The trial is hoping to recruit people who work in the poultry industry or are over the age of 65 - the two most at-risk groups.