Widespread outbreaks of avian influenza (bird flu) during the recent European winter have led to a new push for a global vaccine drive against the virus.
A feature article in Poultry World quoted experts saying current methods to control bird flu were not working, and that vaccination was an essential addition to strict biosecurity measures.
Professor Sjaak de Wit of Utrecht University of Veterinary Medicine called the current avian flu outbreaks “a war situation”.
“Vaccination is not a last resort — it’s a critical component of sustainable avian influenza control,” said De Wit. “The challenge now is to ensure that this message reaches veterinary regulators and policymakers worldwide.”
Dr Leslie Sims, an independent veterinary consultant and international expert with over 28 years of experience in avian influenza prevention, expressed deep concern that millions of chickens and turkeys are still destroyed each year, despite the availability of effective vaccines. “Stamping out alone is not sustainable — economically, socially, or ethically,” said Sims. “We are relying on an 18th-century method of disease control when 21st-century tools are at our disposal.”
He called for a shift in high-risk areas, away from reliance on stamping out to strategic vaccination, supported by cost-effective surveillance. “To countries relying on biosecurity and keep failing, I just say, why aren’t you vaccinating? It just makes so much more sense,” Sims said.
Avian influenza expert David Swayne noted that emergency vaccination campaigns in France and six Latin American countries had already demonstrated success in reducing outbreaks, and several other nations are now developing national vaccination plans and vaccine banks. He stressed that the scientific community now has clear evidence that vaccination is both effective and necessary as part of modern avian influenza management.
De Wit is pushing for changes to the European protocols requiring vaccinated chickens to be checked weekly. “That’s a huge barrier to vaccination. It’s unfeasible because it costs a lot of money,” he said.
