U.S. Advisers Endorse Bird Flu Vaccine

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''The more antibodies, the better. But even at lower levels, there is a possibility of protection,'' Goodman said.

Despite its limited effectiveness, the vaccine still could prove better than nothing in an outbreak, said Norman Baylor, director of the vaccine office at the FDA, according to the AP.

''The benefit of having a licensed vaccine against a potential pandemic influenza virus strain must be weighed against the risk of having no vaccine at the time of an inevitable influenza pandemic,'' Baylor told the advisory panel. Baylor added that even a single dose of the two-shot vaccine could help combat the deadly bird-flu strain.

Tierno said a flu pandemic could be catastrophic. "If you use this vaccine coupled with the antiviral Tamiflu and statins, perhaps you can prevent the flu from moving across the United States," he said. "You need something, and this is better than nothing, and if they are pursuing a newer, better vaccine, then it's OK."

While bird flu has been devastating poultry in Asia for several years, the World Health Organization has recorded only 167 human deaths linked to the disease. But health experts are worried that the virus could mutate into a form that would be easily transmittable from person to person, unleashing a pandemic.

More information

For more information on bird flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.