U.S. Rejected Hen Vaccine Despite Success in Britain

[t0dd]

Source: NYTimes

Faced with a crisis more than a decade ago in which thousands of people were sickened from salmonella in infected eggs, farmers in Britain began vaccinating their hens against the bacteria. That simple but decisive step virtually wiped out the health threat.

But when American regulators created new egg safety rules that went into effect last month, they declared that there was not enough evidence to conclude that vaccinating hens against salmonella would prevent people from getting sick. The Food and Drug Administration decided not to mandate vaccination of hens — a precaution that would cost less than a penny per a dozen eggs.

Now, consumers have been shaken by one of the largest egg recalls ever, involving nearly 550 million eggs from two Iowa producers, after a nationwide outbreak of thousands of cases of salmonella was traced to eggs contaminated with the bacteria.

The F.D.A. has said that if its egg safety rules had gone into effect earlier, the crisis might have been averted. Those rules include regular testing for contamination, cleanliness standards for henhouses and refrigeration requirements, all of which experts say are necessary.

However, many industry experts say the absence of mandatory vaccination greatly weakens the F.D.A. rules, depriving them of a crucial step that could prevent future outbreaks.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/business/25vaccine.html?_r=1&hp

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Gee.I wonder who influenced the FDA..and was responsible for the new rules not going into effect for

A YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think corporate farming was involved in any way?????????:crazy: :silly:

[Lasher]

3. Yep. The FDA prolly didn't mandate vaccination because the corporate farms didn't tell them to.

The important thing is, we shouldn't encumber these corporations with oppressive government regulation and oversight. Like the financial services industry. And the health insurance industry. And Enron. And the Savings and Loan associations.

[depakid]

2. Much better (for PhARMA) to pump 'em full of antibiotics

and create resistant strains.

While still poisoning millions of people from Salmonella

[roxiejules]

4. Why is vaccine evidence always sufficient...

when they want us humans to use it?

[Mojorabbit]

5. I have three hens

and will never buy supermarket eggs again if I can help it.

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Well, we don't want the hens getting autism

:hide:

[Nihil]

8. Umm ... DP?

:spank:

[dipsydoodle]

7. UK issue goes back more than 10 years to 1988

google : edwina currie egg salmonella scare

Work forward from there. Edwina Currie was our Minister of Health at the time.

Some of the issues were also to do with eating eggs raw as opposed to cooked.