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Vaccination of poultry against avian influenza

 
May 2007 - European Food Safety Authority (848Kb)

Scientific Opinion on vaccination against avian influenza of H5 and H7 subtypes in domestic poultry and captive birds

Adopted on 11 May 2007


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June 2006 - Press Release (63Kb)

Intervet develops prototype for mass application avian influenza vaccine

A biotech breakthrough achieved by Intervet, an animal health business, means that mass application of a dual vaccine against avian influenza and Newcastle Disease could be available in the near future.


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Press Release - 8 March 2006

The European Medicines Agency has met with avian influenza vaccine manufacturers, European veterinary vaccine experts and representatives from the European Commission to promote the availability of authorised influenza vaccines for birds in the European Union.


See full pdf document and press release below:
Press release Reflection Paper (23Kb)
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Reflection paper - The emergency registration of Avian Influenza vaccines (47Kb)
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Advantages of Vaccination

  • Vaccination reduces susceptibility to infection.
    A higher dose of virus is necessary to infect the vaccinated birds.

  • Vaccinated birds shed less virus.
    • Decreased contamination of the environment.
    • Decreased risk of human infection

  • Used strategically vaccination compliments a stamping out strategy by slowing/stopping the spread of the virus  

Reduction of Virus Excretion after Vaccination

Laboratory Trial

  • Day old chicks vaccinated with an inactivated avian influenza vaccine containing strain H5N2.
  • 4 weeks later the chickens were challenged with HPAI A/Hong Kong/156/97 (H5N1).
  • 2 days post challenge it was demonstrated that the vaccinated birds shed lower levels of the challenge virus than the unvaccinated birds. See figure below.  

For more information see:
Swayne D.E, Beck J.R, Perdue M.L, Beard C.W (2001)
Efficacy of vaccines in chickensagainst highly pathogenic Hong Kong H5N1 Avian Influenza.
Avian Diseases 45: 355-365
virus recovered after vaccination

Field situation

Ellis et al. reported two field cases of H5N1 avian influenza in Hong Kong from December 2002 to January 2003. Flocks were vaccinated with a commercially available H5N2 vaccine. The authors concluded that in a field situation vaccination not only stopped virus transmission, but there was also no virus shedding from the remaining chickens.

See abstract : Vaccination of chickens against H5N1 avian influenza in the face of an outbreak interrupts virus transmission
Trevor M. Ellis, Connie Y. H. C. Leung, Mary K. W. Chow, Lucy A. Bissett, William Wong, Yi Guan, J. S. Malik Peiris

Perceived Disadvantages of Vaccination

Perceived disadvantage of vaccination

Solution

  • Not in line with OIE or EU control strategies.


  • Negative impact on trade agreements.
  • Clinical signs are reduced. Disease may be missed in a flock.
  • Vaccinated and naturally infected birds cannot be distinguished

 




More Information
Commission decision 2004/666/EC (59Kb)
September 2004: Commission Decision to allow vaccination against H5 and H7 in Italy without trade restrictions for meat from vaccinated and AI-free flocks.
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Vaccination as Part of an Avian Influenza Control Strategy (31Kb)

Johann Breytenbach.

A look at the advantages of including vaccination in an avian influenza control strategy.


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Making Avian Influenza vaccines available, an industry point of view (280Kb)

Paul van Aarle

A look at how vaccination can help control avian influenza (AI) outbreaks when used as part of a complete strategy. Also a discussion on how existing AI vaccines and vaccines containing new strains can be efficiently and quickly made available for vaccination against AI during an outbreak.


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