France has confirmed its objective to roll out a vaccination program against bird flu in the coming autumn after conducting a series of tests on duck vaccination, which yielded satisfactory effectiveness.
A severe strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has significantly impacted poultry production worldwide, resulting in the culling of over 200 million birds in the past 18 months.
Among European Union countries, France has been the hardest hit, experiencing a resurgence of outbreaks, primarily affecting ducks in the southwestern region since the beginning of this month.
In preparation, France had already initiated the pre-order of 80 million vaccines last month, pending final tests conducted by the French health safety agency ANSES.
“These favourable results provided sufficient guarantees to launch a vaccination campaign as early as autumn 2023.” The farm ministry had stated on its official website.
Governments, often cautious about vaccination due to potential trade restrictions, have increasingly considered its adoption to curb the virus’s spread and prevent human-to-human transmission.
The test results revealed effective control of virus transmission in vaccinated mule ducks, successful differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals using the DIVA principle, and a reduction in virus excretion by vaccinated birds, according to the conclusions of the tests.
France has commissioned two companies, Ceva Animal Health in France and Boehringher Ingelheim in Germany, to develop bird flu vaccines specifically for ducks.
Several other EU countries, such as the Netherlands and Italy, are also conducting tests. Initial results from the Netherlands indicate the vaccines being tested have shown promising efficacy.
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