News item | 17-03-2023 | 09:18
Two new vaccines against highly pathogenic bird flu have proven effective in a first experimental trial under controlled conditions conducted by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR). The study was commissioned by the Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV). It is important that the vaccines in the lab not only protected poultry against symptoms of disease, but also prevented the spread of the avian flu virus.
Piet Adema, Minister of LNV: “I am pleased that there are two vaccines with which we can continue the vaccination journey against bird flu. I will take the steps in the vaccination process as quickly as possible, but I also want to do this carefully and responsibly because of public health, animal health, and the impact on poultry farmers and other parties involved.
The avian flu situation with a permanent threat from wild birds requires a more intensive approach. Vaccination offers perspective for this for kept poultry. It is important that there is sufficient support: among other Member States in the European Union, poultry farmers and market parties, we need everyone’s active cooperation to make the vaccination process a success.”
Field trial and pilot
The cabinet wants to make vaccination possible in a responsible manner, for the sake of public and animal health. Therefore, a step-by-step approach has been chosen. The next step is to investigate whether the two new vaccines are also effective in a practical environment. A field trial on a few poultry farms is being prepared for this. A pilot is also being prepared to vaccinate poultry farms in the Netherlands on a larger scale.
Under field conditions, the effectiveness of a vaccine may be different than under controlled conditions in a laboratory. In a poultry house, for example, the housing and the climate in the house are different, the animals are vaccinated against more diseases and other germs are present in the house that could influence the effectiveness of a vaccine.
monitoring
In a second study, the risks are investigated in case vaccination has a suboptimal effect and the virus can spread unnoticed. If that happens, there is a risk of further spread within a company and to other companies. That is why an intensive surveillance program is being set up in which the animals are monitored and controlled, in accordance with the new European regulation.
The pilot with a larger number of poultry farms can provide guidance on how a vaccination program can be set up as responsibly as possible. This pilot will also pay a lot of attention to the effects of vaccination on trade. The aim is to start the pilot at the end of this year, after the first results of the field trial are known.