"While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for any possible scenario that could arise," HSS's Xavier Becerra said.

As bird flu wreaks havoc across the United States, with devastating consequences for birds, dairy herds, and even humans, the decision not to vaccinate poultry has increasingly come under scrutiny. While other countries have used vaccines as part of their strategy to control outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus,